Abstract:
A motion simulator including passenger carrying apparatus designed to receive and carry a number of seated passengers from a first position in which the passengers board the apparatus into a second position from which the passengers view visual images displayed on a presentation screen. The apparatus includes multiple passenger carriers, each carrier including multiple rows of passenger seats, arrayed with a single presentation screen. Operation of the apparatus is such that the passenger seats are pivoted upwardly into a position directly above a portion of the presentation screen. A wing-shaped deployable canopy is provided over each passenger seat. In the deployed position, the canopy is positioned to block a portion of the passenger&#39;s visual field outside the presentation screen. Apparatus is provided for moving air and scent materials over the passengers to enhance the sense of flight created in the minds of the passengers. The motion simulator is suitable for use in an amusement park or theme park as an amusement ride.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to the fields of mechanical and visual motion simulation. More particularly, the invention resides in a motion simulator that, in the preferred embodiment, is incorporated into an amusement park ride for a plurality of passengers. The ride provides, through a combination of motion and projected visual images, a convincing sensation of physical motion including flight over a panoramic area. This provides a highly immersive experience that is satisfying and enjoyable to the passengers. 
     Flight motion simulators have previously been used in fields including aircraft pilot training and amusement rides. Known motion simulators frequently combine applied motion with visual images projected onto some type of display screen. When the images are linked properly with the applied motion, these simulators can provide a convincing illusion of actual flight or motion over a wide area. 
     Many known motion simulators are less than ideal, however, because the moving images are displayed over only a relatively small area comprising only a fraction of the viewer&#39;s entire visual field. Outside the limited projection area, the view can see stationary objects, which is inconsistent with the illusion of motion the simulator is intended to create. This drastically limits the sense of immersion experienced by the viewer. It would be desirable, therefore, to devise a motion simulator in which moving images are presented to a viewer over a wide area comprising a significant portion of the viewer&#39;s visual field. It would be further desirable to provide a motion simulator in which areas of the viewer&#39;s visual field in which moving images are not projected are blocked from the viewer&#39;s vision by portions of the apparatus, thereby blocking nearby stationary objects from the view of the user. 
     In some known motion simulators, including applications used both for flight training and for entertainment, for example, the user enters into a closed chamber to block the user&#39;s vision outside the projection area of moving images. The user may sit as a passenger inside the closed chamber. The entire chamber is then moved as moving images, coordinated with the motion of the chamber, are projected into the visual field of the user. Such simulators provide a highly immersive experience and have been found very useful, e.g., for flight training. 
     Such closed-chamber simulators can be less than ideal, however, in entertainment applications, and in particular for uses such as amusement parks, where it is desirable to move a relatively large number of customers through the simulator quickly, conveniently, and safely. It is often inconvenient, time-consuming, at times even somewhat dangerous to load and unload passengers from motion simulators that incorporate full enclosures for the passengers. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a motion simulator that would provide a highly immersive experience like the closed-chamber type, but that would be amenable to the rapid and convenient loading and unloading of large numbers of passengers so that the motion simulator could be incorporated profitably into a high volume entertainment ride such as might be found in an amusement park or a similar entertainment venue. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention resides in an amusement apparatus suitable for use as an amusement ride in an amusement or theme park. In a preferred embodiment, multiple seats serve as passenger stations and are attached to hangars, which are pivoted from a first position suitable for loading and loading the passengers, to a second position where the passengers are suspended over and in front of a video, cinema, or other presentation screen adapted for the display of visual images to the passengers. 
     In the preferred embodiment, a carriage is driven along a rail by a drive apparatus. The carriage is attached at one point to a hangar for the passenger station seats. The hangar is attached at another end to a pivot bar or another type of pivot member, which is attached in turn to a pivot point that is fixed in space with respect to the rail. As the carriage moves along the rail, the hangar and the seats are pivoted between the first and second positions. 
     The preferred embodiment further includes deployable canopies positioned over the heads of the passengers. When deployed the canopies block portions of the passengers&#39; visual fields away from the presentation screen, thereby isolating the passengers somewhat from views away from the presentation screen. This enhances the immersion and sense of artificial flight experienced by the passengers. 
     The experience of the passengers may be further enhanced by the use of fans in the canopies operable to move air over the passengers as they watch the visual images. Optionally, nozzles may be provided to direct scent materials into proximity to the fans so that appropriate scents may be directed to the passenger in conjunction with selected visual images. 
     In some alternate embodiments, a retracting floor moves between a first position suitable for loading and unloading passengers into the seats, and a second position away from the passenger seats so that the passengers&#39; feet are suspended some distance over the floor so that the seats may be lifted and moved safely into position over and in front of the presentation screen. In other embodiments, including in fact the embodiment presently preferred by the inventor, no retracting floor is necessary and so none is used. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view depicting a passenger carrying apparatus that forms a portion of a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view depicting the apparatus of FIG. 1 in conjunction with a presentation screen used in a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of a passenger seat used in a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is semi-schematic, side sectional view depicting a canopy that is deployable over a passenger seat in a preferred embodiment of the invention; and 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view indicating the arrangement of apparatus and passenger seats in a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention is embodied in an amusement apparatus for use as an entertainment ride in an amusement park. The amusement apparatus includes a plurality of seats for passengers, and a display screen for projecting images visible to the passengers from their seated positions. The seats are built into a number of seating assemblies arrayed alongside one another in front of the display screen (FIG.  5 ). 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a single seating assembly  5  that forms a part of the preferred embodiment of the invention. The seating assembly is connected, as will be described, to a rigid, three-dimensional stationary supporting structure, indicated generally as  6 , mounted in the ground extending upwardly in longitudinally and transverse directions. FIG. 1 shows the single seating assembly both in a lowered position  12  and a raised position  15 . 
     The seating assembly  5  comprises a plurality of passenger seats  18 . The seats are hung in rows at from a seat hanger frame  20  which comprises a longitudinally-extending, three-dimensional, open framework of connected beams. The frame includes longitudinally-spaced, laterally-extending rows of seat suspenders  21  which each support the seats  18  for pivoting motion in the vertical plane. The seat hanger  20  is supported below a longitudinally-extending rigid guide structure  24  connected to the support structure  6 . The guide structure  20  has a guide rail  26  in which is mounted a wheeled carriage  28  that has a pivoted connection to the seat hanger frame adjacent its rear end. A reversible, electric drive motor  30 , mounted to structure  24  is connected by a cable and pully drive system to drive the carriage between a rear, passenger loading position shown as  12  in FIG. 1 and a forward, viewing position, shown as  15  in FIG.  1 . During the travel from the rear position to the forward position, the orientation of the seat hanger frame changes from generally horizontal to approaching vertical (FIG.  15 ). 
     A rigid tether  32 , connected by a pivot point  33  to the support structure  6  and by another pivot point to the forward end of the hanger support  20 , causes the hanger support to pivot upwardly about the carriage  28  as it moves from its generally horizontal loading position to its almost vertical viewing position. 
     It will be appreciated that, in the arrangement described, the combined effect of the guide rail, the carriage, and the tether, in changing the orientation of the hanger support, are analogous to the function achieved by a cam and cam follower arrangement. Thus, conventional cam and cam follower arrangements which could define a comparable path for the hanger support may be used in place of that described. 
     The foregoing arrangement spaces the seats  18  far apart horizontally above a boarding surface  42  forming part of the structure  6  to facilitate rapid boarding and deboarding of passengers in the lowered position. Each seat includes a retractable canopy  38 , which deploys into position above each passenger&#39;s head as the seating assembly moves into the raised position. The purpose and operation of the canopies will be described below. 
     Alternative embodiments are possible in which a flexible member such as a flexible cable is used as a pivot member as the tether  32  in place of a rigid bar. This alternative is possible so long as the geometry of the apparatus is such that the flexible pivot member is constantly under some degree of tension. 
     The preferred embodiment, as described, uses a drive assembly based on a reversible, selectively operable electric motor mounted to the rear end of the guard rail and connected by conventional cable and pulling arrangements to the carriage. However, a wide variety of drive mechanisms may be substituted that could serve to move the seat assembly between the viewing and boarding positions, e.g., a motorized lead screw and drive nut connection, a hydraulic drive piston and rod, a scissors parallelogram drive system, a pneumatic drive system and other such interchangeable expedients for a motorized pully and cable drive. Designers of amusement park rides are skilled in the engineering and construction of such mechanisms. 
     FIG. 2 is another side view of a single seating assembly  10  of another embodiment of the invention in which the guide rail  35  is horizontal rather than at an inclination to horizontal. This figure further includes representations of a number of passengers  40  boarding and seated in the flight simulator, as would also occur in the preferred embodiment already described. As FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate, the seats  18  are spaced relatively far apart horizontally when the seating assembly is in the boarding position  12 . This facilitates rapid loading and unloading of the passengers onto the ride. 
     In embodiments that include a retracting floor  42 , the retracting floor drops away a short distance to leave the passengers seated in their seats  18  with their feet suspended in the air. In either case, after the passengers  40  are seated, the drive assembly is activated to pull the seating assembly carrying the seated passengers into the raised position  15 . 
     In all embodiments, as the seats are raised, the retractable canopies  38  deploy into position over the passengers&#39; heads. In the raised position, the passengers are seated relatively close to one another horizontally, with visibility enhanced by a substantial vertical separation between adjacent rows of seats. 
     Referring now particularly to FIG. 2, the passengers  40  are disposed in the raised position  15  in front of and directly over a curved presentation screen  45 . The presentation screen is connected to and supported by the general supporting structure extending vertically and transversely and is curved arcuately in the vertical plane, for an embodiment having at least a single row of seats. In an embodiment having multiple, transversely spaced rows of seats spaced along a circular periphery, as shown in FIG. 5, the screen  45  also curves in the transverse plane. As the figure shows, the passengers&#39; sight lines to the screen are blocked from below by the forward edge of the seats  18 , and by the passengers&#39; own knees and feet. From above, the passengers&#39; sight lines are blocked by the forward edge of the retractable canopies  38  in their deployed positions. This serves to constrain the passengers&#39; visual fields to the upper and lower limits of the presentation screen. 
     The presentation screen  45  may be any means—conventional, novel, or one yet to be developed—for presenting visual images to the seated passengers  40 . In the presently preferred embodiment, the presentation screen is adapted for use with an image projector using high definition cinema projection equipment to present very high quality motion pictures to the passengers. 
     FIG. 3 shows a single seat  18  mounted on its seat hanger  20 . The seat is mounted to associated one of the seat hanger suspending  21  at pivot point  47  for pivoting motion about a horizontal, transverse axis. A seat driver  50  is selectively operable to drive the seat in motion about the pivot point, thereby adjusting the pitch of the seat. In the preferred embodiment, the seat driver is a bellcrank-type cam driven by a reversible electric motor that applies a pitching force to the seat, but other seat drivers may be used in addition to or in place of the preferred one. A motion damper  53  between the seat and the seat hanger mount operates to control excessive swinging, whether from the seat driver, or from motion of the passenger in the seat. Although not depicted in the figures, each seat should be provided with a seat belt or another suitable passenger restraint to secure the passengers safely in their seats. 
     FIG. 4 is a semi-schematic sectional detail view of one of the canopies  38 . As indicated therein, each canopy includes a fan  55  or another type of air blower positioned inside an air plenum  58  in the canopy. The fan, typically driven by an electric motor  60 , is operable to move air over the passenger in the seat under the canopy. 
     Optionally, a nozzle  62  may be located in proximity to the fan  55 . The nozzle in FIG. 4 is connected to a reservoir  70  located upstream of the nozzle. Compressed air is supplied through a compressed air inlet  65 . The flowing air draws a scent material  67  from the scent reservoir  70  and delivers it through the nozzle  62  to the region of the fan. The scented air then moves through the air plenum  58 , which directs it out of the canopy and downward over the passenger. Artificial scents may be injected thereby into the air stream moving over the passenger. 
     The apparatus described herein can be operated in combination to create an entertaining and highly immersive sensation of actual flight in the imaginations of the passengers. As the seats  18  are raised into position, the passenger  40  feels his feet leave the floor and his body being carried upward by the seat. As his seat  18  rises into position, the passenger  40  finds himself suspended with his feet dangling over a realistic or fanciful landscape projected in high resolution on the presentation screen. As the passenger feels himself soaring over the projected landscape, motion can be applied to his seat—by operating the seat driver  50  and by moving the seating assemblies  10  up and down with the drive assembly—to simulate wind currents or turbulence ranging from gentle to quite violent. At the same time, air is moving over the passenger&#39;s face, blown by the fan  55 , perhaps with scents applied by the nozzle  62  corresponding to the projected artificial landscape. For example, a pine scent may be used in conjunction with pictures of a pine forest; an ocean scent may be used as the passenger with a corresponding nautical scene. 
     The reversible motors for the hanger support and for the individual seats, and the fan motor for the air stream, are each controlled by drive train controllers which are responsive to signals which determine their operation and, in the case of the drive train and seat motors, their direction and rate of motion. The signals necessary to control the motor operation are delivered by a programmed computer, in which the program is written to coordinate the motion experienced by the passenger, and the experience of rushing air or scent, with the sequence of images being displayed on the projection screen. Thus, the motion, air and scent experience can be coordinated with the visual experience to convey a particular adventure. If the visuals are changed, the computer can be reprogrammed to provide a new set of motion, air stream and scent experiences coordinated to the new sequence of images. 
     If the passenger  40  looks down, he sees the edge of the seat  18  and his own feet hanging down as he soars over the projection. Looking up, the projection extends realistically upwards to the point where the passenger&#39;s view is cut off by the forward edge of the canopy  38 . The canopy itself, being shaped as an airfoil or wing, only adds to the illusion that the passenger is perched precariously in the sky, operating a hang glider or a similar flying machine. 
     At the simulation&#39;s conclusion, the seats  18  are lowered once again into the lowered position  12 . Where a retracting floor  42  is present, the floor is once again raised into position in contact with the passengers&#39; feet. The seatbelt or passenger restraint is then released so that the passengers can exit the ride to be replaced quickly and conveniently with a new set of passengers looking forward to the novel and exhilarating experience the invention provides. Seat belt control systems are used in conjunction with the controlling computer to ensure that the ride cannot commence until every passenger&#39;s belt is buckled before and during the ride and to effect controlled release at the deboarding portion of the ride. 
     Although the invention is usable with only a single seat and a solitary passenger, the preferred embodiment includes a number of seats arrayed in rows and suspended from a plurality of seating assemblies. Referring now to FIG. 5, each box  73  in the figure represents a single seat. The figure illustrates, in plan view, the positions of the seats both in their lowered positions  12 , withdrawn from the screen and in position for passenger loading, and in their raised positions  15 , suspended over the screen while the simulation is in action. 
     As FIG. 5 indicates, the preferred embodiment includes three passenger carriers positioned alongside one another, the positions of which are indicated by reference numerals  75 ,  78 , and  80 . Each passenger carrier includes three rows  83  of seats, each row having between seven and eleven individual seats. 
     Because the three carriers are angled slightly away from one another, aisles  85  are provided between the seat rows in the lowered positions  12  for loading and unloading passengers. Conversely, when the seat rows are in the raised position  15 , the seats are clustered relatively tightly together so that more passengers can be boarded onto the apparatus to view the visual images on the presentation screen. 
     Although the invention has been described with respect to certain preformed embodiments, the inventions claimed are not limited to the described preferred embodiments but include such variations of the described inventions as would be evident to the worker of ordinary skill in this art.