Abstract:
The present invention relates to systems and methods of delivering fluid from one or more armrests of seat systems. In a feature, the system includes a seat support assembly with armrests with one or more fluid nozzles mounted on one or more of the armrests, a fluid delivery system coupled to the one or more fluid nozzle(s), wherein the fluid nozzles are mounted on an end of the armrest that slopes upward to direct fluid toward the viewer. In another feature, the system includes a controller (e.g., a network server) configured to communicate on and off commands that correspond to events on a timeline of a movie to actuate the fluid delivery system to deliver fluids to the nozzles.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to systems and methods of fluid delivery for effects for a viewer in a seat system. 
     Disney&#39;s Star Tours and Universal Studio&#39;s The Simpsons Ride, commercial movie theaters, gaming environments, and training centers (e.g., military, law enforcement, and flight schools) use effects to produce the sensation that one is immersed in the reality displayed on a movie screen. 
     A motion effect is implemented by synchronizing the seat motion of the viewer to correspond to the displayed scenes. The motion seat systems can be adapted to receive motion signals that move seats to correspond (e.g., synchronize) to other signals (e.g., video and/or audio signals) that are perceived by person(s). For example, the seat system may synchronize seat motions with the displayed motions in a theater to simulate the forces one would experience seated in a vehicle in a chase scene where the vehicle races around a city street. 
     Another effect is to deliver fluids such as a water mist, a blast of air, wind, and one or more scents to the viewer with the displayed scenes. For example, a system may deliver an orange scent to the viewer while movie displays a character traveling through an orange orchard, deliver a water mist to the viewer when the character travels through a rainy jungle or wind in a storm scene. To the inventors&#39; awareness, the wind effect is implemented by fans hanging in a theater, but this may distract from the viewer&#39;s experience and may be noisy. The water mist and scents have been implemented by installing nozzles in a front rail in front of a row of seats or installing the nozzles into the back of the seats in front of the viewers, but either approach is expensive to implement and not practical because the motion of the seats affects the directionality of the fluid delivery. In short, the motion seats may move the viewer out of the path of fluid delivery. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to systems and methods of fluid delivery for effects for a viewer in a seat system. 
     In a feature, the system includes a seat support assembly, one or more seats on the seat support assembly, including one or more armrests, an air nozzle on one of the armrests, and a fluid delivery system including a controllable valve array including an air inlet, a high flow air outlet, a low flow air outlet, a first scent outlet, a high flow air line connected from the high flow air outlet through a high flow air regulator to a first fluid line, a low flow air line connected from the low flow air outlet through a low flow air regulator to the first fluid line, and a first scent line connected from the first scent outlet through a first scent flow regulator and a first scent tank to the first fluid line, wherein the first fluid line is coupled to the air nozzle. 
     In another feature, the valve array further includes a second scent outlet, wherein a second scent line is connected from the second scent outlet through a second scent flow regulator and a second scent tank to the first fluid line coupled to the air nozzle. 
     In another feature, the system further includes a water nozzle on the one of the armrests, and a water valve with a water inlet and a water outlet, wherein a water line is connected from the water outlet to a second fluid line coupled to the water nozzle. 
     In still another feature, the valve array further includes an atomizing air outlet, an atomizing air line connected from the atomizing air outlet through an atomizing air flow regulator to the water nozzle, wherein the water nozzle is adapted to deliver atomized water when the valve for the atomizing air outlet and the water valve are open. 
     In yet another feature, a controller is configured to communicate on and off commands that correspond to events on a timeline of a movie to actuate one or more of the valves of the valve array to deliver fluids to the nozzles. 
     In still another, the system further includes a shut-off valve on the water line downstream from the water valve. 
     In another embodiment, the system includes a seat support assembly, one or more seats on the seat support assembly, including one or more armrests, and one or more fluid nozzles mounted on the one or more armrests, a fluid delivery system, including an air inlet, a high flow air outlet, a high flow air line connected from the high flow air outlet through a high flow air regulator to a first fluid line, a low flow air outlet, a low flow air line connected from the low flow air outlet, through a low flow air regulator, to the first fluid line coupled to the air nozzle. 
     In another feature, the system further includes a shut off valve on the water line downstream from the water valve. 
     In an additional feature, the air flow regulators can be replaced by pressure regulators. In still another feature, the flow regulators and/or the pressure regulators can be omitted. In yet another feature, the air flow regulators or the pressure regulators, can be positioned anywhere along their respective air lines or can be positioned upstream from the air inlet. 
     In another feature, the system includes a controller configured to communicate on and off commands that correspond to events on a timeline of a movie to actuate one or more of the valves of the valve array to deliver fluids to the nozzles. 
     In a feature, the method of fluid delivery to a viewer in a seat system includes providing nozzles, on seat armrests, coupled to a fluid delivery system, and communicating commands from a controller, wherein the commands are associated with events on a movie timeline, adapted to actuate the fluid delivery system to deliver fluids to the nozzles. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a seat support assembly that is useful for the system. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a back view of the system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an external view of the armrest apart from the seat support assembly. 
         FIG. 4A  is an internal view of the armrest that illustrates the nozzles and the nozzle plates. 
         FIG. 4B  is a view with the front cover of the armrest removed to show the nozzles secured to the plates. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of the fluid delivery system used to distribute water, air, and/or scent(s) to the respective nozzles. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a flowchart and hardware for control of the fluid delivery system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description includes the best mode of carrying out the invention. The detailed description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is determined by reference to the claims. Each part is assigned its own part number throughout the specification and drawings. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a seat support assembly that is suitable for the system. In this embodiment, the system  10  includes a seat support assembly  42  that includes a top frame  36  and a bottom frame  40 . Front actuators  15  and  19  and a back actuator  23  provide structural support between the top and bottom frames  36  and  40 . The actuators also provide motion to the seat support assembly  42 . U.S. Pat. No. 8,585,142 B2 to Jamele et al., Motion Seat Systems and Methods of Implementing Motion in Seats, which is incorporated by reference herein, describes motion seat systems that are suitable with the systems. 
       FIG. 1  also illustrates that in an embodiment a seat frame  32  is secured (e.g., bolted and welded) to the top frame  36 . The seat frame  32  has four spaces  14 ,  16 ,  18 , and  20  for the seats. Armrests  12 ,  17 ,  22 ,  28 , and  34  are secured (e.g., bolted and welded) to the seat frame  32 . A seat  21  in space  16  illustrates how the other seats (not shown) fit and are secured in spaces  14 ,  16 ,  18 , and  20  on the seat support assembly  42 . 
     In an embodiment, the seat support assembly  42  contains space for a fluid delivery system  24  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) and a programmable controller  13 .  FIGS. 5-6  and the accompanying specification will describe both in detail. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a back side view of the system shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown, the armrest  22  includes a set of nozzles  44 ,  46 ,  50 , and  52  that reside in holes in a sloped plate  48  at the end of armrest  22 . The nozzles  50  and  52  will be used to distribute fluids such as air, water, and/or scents to a viewer in seat  21 , while the nozzles  44  and  46  will be used to distribute fluids such as air, water, and/or scents to a viewer in a seat (not shown) that will occupy space  18 . A suitable water nozzle is the Hago water nozzle MW5 that can be obtained from the Hago Manufacturing in Mountainside, N.J. A suitable air nozzle is the SMC muffler ASP-2 that can be obtained from SMC in Noblesville, Ind. This fluid distribution will be described in detail in connection with  FIGS. 4A-5 . 
     Similarly, the armrest  17  includes a set of nozzles  54 ,  56 ,  60 , and  62  that reside in holes in a sloped plate  58  at the end of the armrest  17 . The nozzles  54  and  56  will be used to distribute fluids such as air, water, and/or scents to a viewer in the seat  21 , while the nozzles  60  and  62  will be used to distribute fluids such as air, water, and/or scents to a viewer in a seat (not shown) that will occupy space  14 . 
       FIG. 3  is an external view of the armrest  17  apart from the seat support assembly  42  ( FIGS. 1-2 ). A cover  64  adjacent to or integral with the nozzle plate  58  is a protective enclosure for the nozzles  54 ,  56 ,  60 , and  62  and their respective fluid lines. A suitable fluid line is plastic tubing such as Festo PUN-6x1 plastic tubing from Festo in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. 
       FIG. 4A  is an internal view of the armrest shown in  FIG. 3 . The cover  64  of armrest  17  is partly removed to reveal that the nozzles  54  and  56  residing in nozzle plate  58  are secured to the mounting plate  68  and coupled to nozzle fittings  66  and  70 , which in turn are coupled to a first fluid line  72  and a second fluid line  74 . A suitable water nozzle fitting is the SMC KQ2K06-01AS and a suitable air nozzle fitting is the SMC KQ2F07-35, both from SMC in Noblesville, Ind. 
       FIG. 4B  is an internal view of the components in the armrest. The front cover  64  is fully removed from armrest  17  to reveal that the nozzles  54 ,  56 ,  60  and  62  are secured to the mounting plate  68  and are coupled to the nozzle fittings  66 ,  70 ,  76 , and  78 , which in turn are coupled to the fluid lines  72 ,  74 ,  80 , and  82 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of a fluid delivery system that can be used to distribute water, air, and scents to the nozzles shown in  FIGS. 2-4B . 
     As illustrated, the fluid delivery system  24  includes a valve array  88 . A suitable valve array can be assembled from Festo valve manifold VABM-L1-14S-G14-5 and Festo valves VUVG-L14-T32C-AT-G18-1P3, which can be obtained from Festo, Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. The valve array includes an air inlet  85 , a high flow air outlet  98 , a low flow air outlet  96 , a first scent outlet  94 , a second scent outlet  92 , and/or an air outlet  99 . 
     An air supply source (not shown), e.g., an air compressor at 100 psi, supplies air to the air inlet  85 . In an embodiment, a high flow air line  124  is connected from the air outlet  98  through a high flow air regulator  114  to the fluid line  72 . A low flow air line  122  is connected from the air outlet  96  through a low flow air regulator  112  to the fluid line  72 . A first scent line  120  is connected from the air outlet  94  through a first scent flow regulator  110  and a first scent tank  89  to the fluid line  72 . A second scent line  118  is connected from the air outlet  92  through a second scent flow regulator  108  and a second scent tank  90  to the fluid line  72 . As a result, the first fluid line  72  is able to deliver high air flow (e.g., air blast), a low air flow (e.g., wind), and scent(s)(e.g., freshly cut grass) through a single air nozzle  56  ( FIG. 4B ). A suitable flow regulator is the SMC AS2051FG-08 Inline Flow Control from SMC in Noblesville, Ind. A suitable scent tank is the Clear Inline DI Filter Cartridge  214  that can be obtained from Filter Direct in Santa Ana, Calif. A suitable scent source is the Scent Sleeve from Escential Resources FX from Torrance, Calif. 
     In additional embodiments, the air flow regulators  108 ,  110 ,  112 ,  114 , and  116  can be replaced by pressure regulators. A suitable pressure regulator is the SMC AW30-N03-Z Filter Regulator from SMC in Noblesville, Ind. In another embodiment, the air flow regulators  108 ,  110 ,  112 ,  114  and/or  116  and/or the pressure regulators can be omitted. In other embodiments, the air flow regulators  108 ,  110 ,  112 ,  114 , and  116 , or the pressure regulators, can be positioned anywhere along their respective air lines  118 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124 , and  126 , or can be positioned upstream from the air inlet  85 . 
     A water pump (not shown), e.g., 30-70 psi, supplies water to the water inlet  102  of the water valve  101 , which couples the water line  128  from the water outlet  100 , through a shut-off valve  103 , to the fluid line  74 . An atomizing air line  126  is coupled to the air outlet  99  and to an air flow regulator  116 . The atomizing air line  126  is coupled to the fluid line  74 . As a result, the fluid line  74  is able to deliver a fine spray of atomized water (e.g., mist) and/or water through a single water nozzle  56  ( FIG. 4B ). When the atomized water is delivered both the air outlet  99  and the water valve  101  are opened. A suitable water valve is the SMC water valve VDW22AA from SMC in Noblesville, Ind. 
     Many of the parts of the systems can be purchased and implemented with high strength steel, but the person of ordinary skill would readily understand the materials and parts to use after review of the specification. Further, the choice of materials and conventional parts is not essential to the invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart of the process and hardware transmitting commands from the controller to valves to control the fluid delivery system. In an embodiment, using known conventional techniques, the system can include a controller  130  that transmits a digital command to a programmable controller  132 , which in turn transmits an analog voltage to an electrical terminal  134 , which in turn sends the analog voltage to the valve array  88  ( FIG. 5 ) and/or the water valve  101 , collectively called valves  136 , to actuate the valve(s). As indicated in  FIG. 6 , one or more of the hardware components  130 ,  132 , and  134  can be omitted from the control process. In an alternative embodiment, an operator will manually actuate the valves  136  to achieve the desired effects. 
       FIGS. 1-6  illustrate the fluid delivery systems and methods of fluid delivery in a four-seat support assembly. However, the inventors recognize the fluid delivery system may be implemented for one or more seats, and each seat may include one or more armrests. Furthermore, the system may be implemented by an operator rather than a controller (e.g., a network computer), which is also referred to as a central controller. It is also recognized that the system is not limited to seating designed for commercial theaters, theme parks, exhibits, home theaters, and gaming. For example, it may be used in any environment where fluid effect will enhance or change the experience of the viewer in the seat. 
     Thus, the systems and methods described also eliminate the need for mounted fans to produce in-theater effects such wind. In addition, the system eliminates the need for rails mounted in front-row seats and water jets on the back of each additional row. Instead, the effects (e.g., air blasts, wind, water, mist and scents) are implemented at the armrest of the seat of the viewers. If the seat also moves, the effects move along with the viewer. 
     The design of the system allows unlimited configurations as to the number of seats, and also may provide each rider with the same experience at a relatively low cost.