Patent Description:
Amusement and theme park operators are continuously searching for new and exciting ways to entertain their visitors and to entice visitors to return to their parks. Often, it is desirable to create and build new rides and attractions to meet this need for new park experiences.

Water rides are some of the most beloved attractions at parks around the world, with park visitors enjoying and remembering their times on these water rides for years. However, water rides generally do not meet the demand for new and surprising ways to entertain visitors because the type of experience these rides provide has not significantly changed since they were first introduced to parks many years ago.

In a typical water ride, passengers (or park visitors or guests) load into a boat that is then placed in a flume with moving water. The boat may be guided in some portions of the ride but is often free to flow with the water that carries the boat throughout the ride path. The boats float naturally, and excitement is often introduced with rapids or external features such as water sprays or robotic creatures moving nearby. The passengers often experience relatively little of the boat's motion, with many boats being specifically designed, e.g., via wide-bodied rafts and the like, to provide a smooth ride with little pitch and yaw.

Patent document <CIT> describes a swaying boat comprising a water tub, a boat body, a magnetic fluid lifting/lowering apparatus, and a fluid controller. The magnetic fluid lifting/lowering apparatus is arranged within the water tub. The boat body is arranged on the magnetic fluid lifting/lowering apparatus. The magnetic fluid lifting/lowering apparatus comprises sealed cylinders, pistons, piston rods, and electromagnetic coils. The pistons are arranged within cavities of the sealed cylinders. The piston rods are connected to the pistons. The piston rods are connected to the boat body. The electromagnetic coils are arranged on the outer peripheries of the sealed cylinders. The sealed cylinders are provided in the cavities thereof with a magnetic fluid. When in use, people are seated within the swaying boat, the controller is utilized to simulate a state of a boat thrashing in water, while playing and training are carried out on the swaying boat.

Accordingly the invention provides a system as defined in claim <NUM>. Further details are defined in the dependent claims.

The inventor recognized that there is a demand for a water ride or boat-based attraction that imparts more of a boat's motion to the passengers of a boat. For example, an attraction may simulate a water battle, and a passenger boat may move between two battling ships. The passenger boat may be pitching and rolling with the waves, shuttering with the cannon fire, and listing to one side when it starts sinking. Previous water rides could not achieve such movements in any controlled and repeatable manner.

To address this deficiency, a new ride or attraction system ("boat motion simulator") was created that provides a way of making boats perform actions that simulate these types of motions expected of a boat in open water (e.g., roll, sway, heave, pitch, surge, yaw, and shutter/vibrate), while still allowing the boat to feel, and be, naturally buoyant (as least periodically). With the new ride/attraction system, the passengers (e.g., park visitors) are able to truly be a part of the action instead of simply spectators of a show that happen to be in a boat.

More particularly, a system is provided for simulating boat motions including one or more of roll, pitch, surge, heave, sway, yaw, and shuttering/vibrating. The system includes a pool adapted to contain water to a predefined water level. The system further includes a passenger boat on a surface of the water. Additionally, the system includes a motion assembly having: (a) a chassis coupled to or integral with an underside of the passenger boat, wherein the chassis is positioned below the surface of the volume of water; (b) a plurality of tethers each with a first end coupled to the chassis; and (c) a plurality of drivers each coupled with a second end of one of the tethers. In the system, the passenger boat floats naturally on the surface of the volume of water in response to buoyancy forces acting on the underside of the passenger boat when the tethers each have a nominal length (i.e., the boat floats naturally in this operating state of the motion assembly). A boat-type motion is imparted upon the passenger boat when one or more of the drivers operates to reduce a length of one or more of the tethers from the nominal length and to pull the passenger boat toward a bottom of the pool.

In some embodiments, a second boat-type motion is sequentially imparted upon the passenger boat when one or more of the drivers operates to return the one or more of the tethers to the nominal length, whereby the buoyancy forces act on the underside of the passenger boat to cause the passenger boat to again float naturally. In these and other cases, each of the tethers may be an elongated flexible member (such as a metal cable or the like), and the drivers each may take the form of a motorized reel upon which the second end of the tether is wound.

In some implementations of the system, the tethers are four flexible elongated members each with a first end coupled to one of four mounting points on the chassis, and the four mounting points are arranged in horizontal plane in a rectangular pattern (such as one with its outer corners located outward from the sides of the boat). In some particular embodiments, the rectangular pattern is configured such that two of the mounting points are located on a port side of the passenger boat, two of the mounting points are located on a starboard side of the passenger boat, two of the mounting points are located proximate to a bow end of the passenger boat, and two of the mounting points are located proximate to a stern end of the passenger boat. Preferably, the drivers are independently and concurrently operable to modify lengths of the tethers (e.g., to retract one tether or cable, two retract pairs of the tethers, and to retract all of the tethers), and, in some cases, each of the drivers or a pulley associated each of the drivers is positioned on the bottom of the pool (so as to apply forces on the chassis to pull the boat downward in the water when the tether is retracted).

Briefly, the following description describes a boat motion simulator or system (or attraction or ride system) configured specially to impart boat-type motions (e.g., roll, sway, heave, pitch, surge, and yaw) to a passenger boat. Significantly, the simulator or system is configured also to use buoyancy or buoyant forces to vertically support the boat such that the system's components imparting the boat motions do not provide vertical support of the boat, which, instead, floats in a volume of water provided within the simulator or system while or concurrently with motions being imparted upon the boat by a drive or motion assembly. The simulator or system may also include a display and sound system operable with this drive or motion assembly to display imagery (e.g., <NUM>-degree or wrap-around/surround video, 3D video, and so on) and to provide sound effects and/or a soundtrack that are synchronized with the motions imparted upon the boat by the drive or motion assembly to provide a unique and realistic boat simulator or boat ride experience for passengers in the boat.

<FIG> illustrates a boat motion simulator or system <NUM> adapted to provide an experience that simulates motions of a boat in open water during varying conditions in a controlled manner. The system <NUM> includes a volume of water <NUM> with an upper surface or water level <NUM>, and the water <NUM> is contained in a structure (such as a pool or flume) with sidewalls (not shown for simplicity of illustration of the system <NUM>) and a bottom <NUM>. The system <NUM> further includes a passenger boat <NUM>, which is allowed to float upon the surface <NUM>, i.e., the boat <NUM> is vertically supported a distance (e.g., at the water level <NUM>) above the bottom <NUM> by its buoyancy in the water <NUM> and not by drive members of the system <NUM>.

The boat <NUM> is configured to be a passenger boat in which one, two, or more passengers may sit or stand with or without restraints. To this end, the boat <NUM> includes a body or hull <NUM>, which may take a wide variety of forms and sizes to suit a desired application and which is formed of a material that is buoyant or that floats in water <NUM>. To this end, the body <NUM> may have a bottom surface <NUM> that is solid or non-porous and made of a plastic, wood, metal, or other material useful for constructing boats to provide buoyancy and also provide a surface that supports passengers received in an interior compartment <NUM> of the body <NUM>. The shape and other design features of the bottom surface <NUM> and body <NUM> may be chosen to achieve a desired amount of draft of the boat <NUM> when it is fully or partially loaded with passengers (not shown but understood to be receivable in compartment <NUM> such as standing or seated on bench-type seats shown in <FIG>). The boat <NUM> has a bow or front end <NUM>, a stern or back end <NUM>, a port or left side <NUM>, and a starboard or right side <NUM>.

To impart selective boat-type motions on the boat <NUM>, the system <NUM> includes a drive or motion assembly <NUM>. This assembly <NUM> is typically wholly positioned some distance or depth below the water level or surface <NUM> such as <NUM> to <NUM> feet or more to hide the assembly <NUM> from view of passengers in the boat <NUM>, which can also be furthered by low lighting for water <NUM> and/or by making the water <NUM> less transmissive of light.

The motion assembly <NUM> includes a boat chassis or drive frame <NUM> that provides anchoring locations for transmitting drive forces from the motion assembly <NUM> to the body/hull <NUM> of the boat <NUM>. To this end, the boat chassis <NUM> may take a variety of forms with the illustrated design just being one useful example. As shown, the boat chassis <NUM> includes a rear or stern cross member <NUM> and a forward or bow cross member <NUM>, which are rigidly coupled to the lower surface <NUM> of the body <NUM> of the boat <NUM> near the stern and bow <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, of the boat <NUM>.

As shown, the cross members <NUM>, <NUM> may be elongated struts or linear elements with a length that often matches or exceeds the width of the boat body <NUM>, and each of the members <NUM>, <NUM> extends orthogonally to the boat <NUM> (e.g., each has a longitudinal axis that is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the boat body <NUM> or to a direction of travel for the boat <NUM> when it has a circular shape rather than the elongated shape shown in <FIG>). As shown with member <NUM>, each may include a first end (left or port end) <NUM>, a center point or midpoint <NUM>, and a second end (right or starboard end) <NUM>, and the member <NUM> may be rigidly coupled to the bottom surface <NUM> of the boat body <NUM> at or near the center point <NUM>. Each member <NUM>, <NUM> is typically formed to be rigid and to have adequate strength characteristics to transfer retention and drive forces to the body <NUM> with no or little deformation. In some embodiments, the chassis <NUM> may be provided as an integral part of the body/hull <NUM>, e.g., providing anchor points for drive components on bow and stern portions of the bottom surface <NUM> (or at locations such as midpoint between the bow and stern <NUM> and <NUM>).

Further, the motion assembly <NUM> includes a tether assembly <NUM> that includes two, three, four, or more tethers or restraint members that are of non-fixed or variable length (i.e., their lengths can be changed over time by operation of the motion assembly <NUM>) and that are typically non-rigid (e.g., to facilitate natural movement of the tethered boat <NUM> and selectively changing each tether's length). As shown, the tether assembly <NUM> includes first, second, third, and four tethers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, which may take the form of flexible cables, ropes, chains, or the like, with each having a length that can be changed (i.e., lengths labeled as LCable1, LCable2, LCable3, and LCable4) as shown with arrows <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively. The first and second tethers <NUM> and <NUM> may be thought of as bow tethers and are coupled to opposite outer ends of the bow cross member <NUM>. The third and fourth tethers <NUM> and <NUM> may be thought of as stern tethers and are coupled to opposite outer ends of the stern cross member <NUM>. As shown in an exemplary manner with tether <NUM>, the tether <NUM> is coupled at a first or upper end <NUM> to an outer end <NUM> of cross member <NUM> (e.g., one that is most proximate to its driver) and coupled at a second or lower end <NUM> to a driver/drive component <NUM>.

To provide the changes <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the lengths, LCable1, LCable2, LCable3, and LCable4, the motion assembly <NUM> includes a motorized reel assembly <NUM>. This assembly <NUM> includes a separate driver <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> for each of the four tethers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> (and are coupled to the lower or second ends of each of the tethers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> as shown for tether <NUM> at end <NUM> by driver <NUM>). The drivers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are mounted on the pool/flume bottom <NUM> and within water <NUM> in some embodiments (as shown) or may be located further apart and out of the water <NUM> with coupling provided via a pulley system (and with a pulley or force directing element on the bottom <NUM> (in place of the drivers themselves).

These drivers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be operated independently to change any of the four lengths, LCable1, LCable2, LCable3, and LCable4, or concurrently (two, three, or all four drivers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) to achieve a desired boat-type motion of boat <NUM>. In one embodiment, the tethers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are lengths of a metal cable and each of the drivers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is a motorized reel (e.g., a reel and drive motor combination) upon which and from the cable may be spooled in response to drive signals from a controller to operate the drivers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The lengths, LCable1, LCable2, LCable3, and LCable4, are chosen to allow the boat <NUM> to float upon the water surface <NUM> in a normal manner while the tethers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> remain taut (or have only a small, predefined amount of play or slack) even when no boat-like motion is being imparted by the motion assembly <NUM> (e.g., to allow the boat <NUM> to "bob" on the surface <NUM> in one operating state of the system <NUM> to further the illusion that the boat <NUM> is unsupported and untethered in the water <NUM>).

The proposed boat motion simulator <NUM> is a system that provides a floating boat <NUM> with the ability to pitch, roll, heave, sway, and surge, all with the "natural" feel of a boat that is on the water <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the passenger boat <NUM> is floating in a pool of water <NUM> (with the pool/flume defined in part by the bottom <NUM>). The boat <NUM> has a chassis <NUM> that is attached to the underside <NUM> of the boat <NUM> and is provided to attach cables or other tethers <NUM>-<NUM> (or actuators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) to the outer corners of the boat body <NUM> (e.g., two at the bow <NUM> and two at the stern <NUM>). In some embodiments (not shown), only a bow and a stern tether may be used (e.g., to provide some but not all of the boat-like motions) or three tethers may be used to achieve a differing subset of the motion or even the same or similar motion. While others may use <NUM>, <NUM>, or more, with four (as shown) providing a useful implementation with each tether <NUM>-<NUM> attached at a second end to motorized reels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> positioned at the bottom <NUM> of the pool/flume (or located remotely through a series of pulleys to avoid use of underwater motors).

With components of the system <NUM> generally understood, it may be useful to describe the system <NUM> when it is being operated in several operating states or to provide differing boat-type motions. As noted above, <FIG> illustrates a first operating state in which the boat <NUM> is allowed, by having the lengths, LCable1, LCable2, LCable3, and LCable4, long enough, for example, to float on the water naturally (i.e., with no or little restraining forces applied by the motion assembly <NUM> on the boat <NUM>).

<FIG> is a side view of the system <NUM> while it is operating the motion assembly <NUM> to cause the boat's bow <NUM> to pitch downward (or surge). During and prior to this motion, the water <NUM> is vertically supporting the boat <NUM> on the water surface <NUM> through buoyancy or applying buoyancy forces (as shown with arrows FB) upon the underside or bottom surface <NUM> of the boat <NUM>, which keeps the tethers <NUM>-<NUM> taut (e.g., with the lengths, LCable1, LCable2, LCable3, and LCable4, being equal and matching predefined nominal lengths in some cases). Then during the forward pitch operating state, as shown, the bow or forward drivers <NUM>, <NUM> are concurrently and equally operated to retract or pull the front or bow tethers <NUM> and <NUM> downward toward the flume/pool bottom <NUM>, as shown with arrow <NUM>, which causes the front end or bow <NUM> of the boat body <NUM> to move downward into the water <NUM> with them (or move further below the surface/water level <NUM>). As shown, since the boat <NUM> is floating, the buoyant force shown with arrows FB keeps the stern or rear tethers <NUM> and <NUM> taut, and the boat's bow or forward end <NUM> pitches downward. This operating state may end with the tethers <NUM> and <NUM> being returned to their nominal lengths via operations of the drivers <NUM> and <NUM> to play out more of the tethers <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., unwind the motorized reels), which causes the bow end <NUM> to pitch back upward.

<FIG> is a side view of the system <NUM> while it is operating the motion assembly <NUM> (such as after completion of the operations of <FIG>) to cause the boat's rear end or stern <NUM> to pitch downward (or surge). During and prior to this motion, the water <NUM> is vertically supporting the boat <NUM> on the water surface <NUM> through buoyancy or applying buoyancy forces (as shown with arrows FB) upon the underside or bottom surface <NUM> of the boat <NUM>, which keeps the tethers <NUM>-<NUM> taught (e.g., with the lengths, LCable1, LCable2, LCable3, and LCable4, being equal to each other and/or matching to predefined nominal lengths in some cases). Then during the rearward pitch operating state, as shown, the stern or rear drivers <NUM>, <NUM> are concurrently and equally operated to retract or pull the rear or stern tethers <NUM> and <NUM> downward toward the flume/pool bottom <NUM>, as shown with arrow <NUM>, which causes the rear end or stern <NUM> of the boat body <NUM> to move downward into the water <NUM> with them (or move further below the surface/water level <NUM>). As shown, since the boat <NUM> is floating, the buoyant force shown with arrows FB keeps the bow or forward tethers <NUM> and <NUM> taut, and the boat's rear end or stern <NUM> pitches downward. This operating state may end with the tethers <NUM> and <NUM> being returned to their nominal lengths via operations of the drivers <NUM> and <NUM> to play out more of the tethers <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., unwind the motorized reels), which causes the stern or rear end <NUM> to pitch back upward.

In <FIG>, the front cables <NUM>, <NUM> are left at nominal length and the rear cables <NUM>, <NUM> are retracted as shown with arrow <NUM>, which pulls <NUM> the rear end <NUM> of the boat <NUM> down. In either case, when the retracted cables are allowed to return to the nominal length (where the boat <NUM> is neutrally buoyant), the buoyant force, FB, of the water <NUM> upon the boat <NUM> provides motion to the boat <NUM>, which gives it an authentic "boat motion" feeling to the rider or passenger of the boat <NUM>. When the motions shown in <FIG> and <FIG> are combined into a sequence, the boat <NUM> is moved as if it were traveling over one-to-many waves (of size dictated by the length of tether that is retracted and later released (or amount of pitch)), with the bow <NUM> rising up and dropping and then the stern <NUM> following.

Since there are tethers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> on all four corners of the chassis <NUM>, a rolling motion can be applied to the boat <NUM> in a similar manner as discussed above for pitch motions. The roll operations of the motion assembly <NUM> generally involve the left side cables being retracted and released and then the right side cables are retracted and released, with this sequence being repeated as desired and a passenger in the boat <NUM> perceiving the boat motion as if waves are hitting the boat <NUM> perpendicularly.

<FIG> is a rear view similar to <FIG> and <FIG> during operations of the motion assembly <NUM> to cause the port side of the passenger boat <NUM> to roll downward. In the operating state shown in <FIG> for the motion assembly <NUM>, the two left or port side tethers are pulled downward, with tether <NUM> visible and being pulled or retracted as shown with arrow <NUM> toward the flume bottom <NUM> by the driver <NUM> (and this also being the case for tether <NUM> by driver <NUM>). Driver <NUM> (and driver <NUM>) on the starboard or right side are not operated such that tether <NUM> (and tether <NUM>) are left at nominal length. This operation causes, as shown with arrow <NUM>, the left or port side of the boat <NUM> to be pulled down toward the flume/pool bottom <NUM>. This operating state may end with the tethers <NUM> and <NUM> being returned to their nominal lengths via operations of the drivers <NUM> and <NUM> to play out more of the tethers <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., unwind the motorized reels), which causes port or left side of the boat <NUM> to roll back upward to reach the natural boat motion provided by the buoyant forces, FB, acting on the boat body <NUM>.

<FIG> is a rear view similar to <FIG> during operations of the motion assembly <NUM> to cause the starboard side of the passenger boat <NUM> to roll downward. In the operating state shown in <FIG> for the motion assembly <NUM>, the two right or starboard side tethers are pulled downward, with tether <NUM> visible and being pulled or retracted as shown with arrow <NUM> toward the flume bottom <NUM> by the driver <NUM> (and this also being the case for tether <NUM> by driver <NUM>). Driver <NUM> (and driver <NUM>) on the port or left side are not operated such that tether <NUM> (and tether <NUM>) are left at nominal length. This operation causes, as shown with arrow <NUM>, the right or starboard side of the boat <NUM> to be pulled down toward the flume/pool bottom <NUM>. This operating state may end with the tethers <NUM> and <NUM> being returned to their nominal lengths via operations of the drivers <NUM> and <NUM> to play out more of the tethers <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., unwind the motorized reels), which causes starboard or right side of the boat <NUM> to roll back upward to regain the natural boat motion provided by the buoyant forces, FB, acting on the boat body <NUM>.

In addition to the motions described above, each individual tether <NUM>-<NUM> can be retracted (and released back to nominal length) for a wide variety of motions such as to provide shuttering or vibrations (rapid and small retractions and releases of one or more driver), to provide heave (concurrent retraction of all drivers), and yaw. Specifically, the motion assembly <NUM> may operate similarly to a more typical motion simulator with controllable pitch, roll, heave, sway, and surge (with sway and surge possible via proper location of the cable reels on the flume/pool bottom <NUM>). However, with the reliance on boat buoyance and the natural frequency associated with the buoyancy, the system <NUM> provided motions and a rider experience that is well beyond a typical motion simulator and provides an accurate or realistic boat motion simulator.

The boat motion simulation concepts described herein may be provided in a variety of system configurations to accommodate many creative concepts, visitor/passenger capacity requirements, and space constraints. These configurations include: (a) a single vehicle, single bay configuration; (b) a multi-vehicle, shared bay configuration; (c) a fleet simulator, single bay configuration; and (d) a traditional boat ride with boat motion simulation.

The single vehicle, single bay configuration may include one vehicle in a single simulation space. <FIG> illustrates such a configuration with boat motion simulator or system <NUM>, which includes a pool/flume <NUM> containing a volume of water <NUM> with a surface <NUM> (as discussed with reference to <FIG> and system <NUM>). Additional components of the system <NUM> may be provided in system <NUM> including the passenger boat <NUM> and portions that provide the controlled motion of the boat <NUM> (not shown but understood from <FIG> as well as discussion of <FIG>).

The system <NUM> further includes a dome screen <NUM> for enclosing and defining a simulation space (interior volume of dome <NUM> over pool <NUM>), and a display and audio system would be included (not shown but understood from <FIG>) to present a surround (<NUM>-degree or some smaller amount) video image and associated soundtrack (and/or additional lighting or 4D effects such as rain or splashing water), and the motion assembly would be controlled to operate so as to be time synchronized with the show elements provided by the display and audio system, e.g., to provide pitch motions when waves are shown to strike the front/bow of the boat <NUM> and to provide roll motions when waves are shown to strike a side of the boat <NUM>.

The single vehicle, single bay configuration of system <NUM> may be used to provide different experiences. One of these is a "passive experience" where passengers of the boat <NUM> see and feel the action (such as sailing across an ocean with a film character) but are restrained in the boat <NUM>. Another experience is an "active experience" where passengers of the boat <NUM> are free (e.g., unrestrained) to perform tasks on the boat <NUM>. This could include a pirate experience where passengers become the pirates or their targets and sail the ship <NUM> on the high seas while experiencing the real feeling of being in the open waters due to operations of the motion assembly.

The multi-vehicle, shared bay configuration has multiple vehicles that share a load/unload area and a simulation area or space. Only one vehicle is in a simulation space at a time (e.g., one vehicle is loading while another is experiencing the simulation of a boat ride). The fleet simulator, single bay configuration has multiple vehicles that share a single simulation space with multiple vehicles at the same time. This may be used to allow the passengers with an interactive experience where the passengers could decide which "side" of a battle to be on (e.g., on the pirate side or the traveler side or vice versa). The traditional boat ride with simulation may be designed to marry the "traditional" boat ride experience, where a boat is floating through a continuous flume, with the boat motion simulator to provide vehicle motion that has never been experienced on a traditional flume ride. This system would include additional equipment from that shown in <FIG> and <FIG> such as a motion base for which the tethers can be attached (and drivers, typically) and which can be moved along a ride path to provide the linear motion typically seen in flume rides (e.g., the motion base takes the place of the pool bottom <NUM> of system <NUM>).

<FIG> is a functional block diagram of a boat motion simulator or system <NUM> of the present description, as may be used to implement the system <NUM> shown in <FIG>. As shown, the system <NUM> includes a simulation space or area <NUM> in which a pool/flume <NUM> is provided (e.g., with walls and a bottom surface defining a space for holding a predefined amount of liquid), and a volume of water <NUM> is held in the pool <NUM>. Also, within the space, a passenger boat <NUM> is provided in the water <NUM> and allowed to float on its surface in response to buoyancy forces applied to the boat's hull or its body's underside/lower surface. A chassis <NUM> is provided on the underside of the boat's body (separate frame/structure mounted on the boat body or an integral component of the boat's body). Further, a sensor assembly <NUM> is provided to output data <NUM> indicative of the motions of the boat <NUM> and/or its present orientation (e.g., how is body oriented relative to horizontal to determine roll, pitch, and so on).

Additionally, as discussed for system <NUM> of <FIG>, the system <NUM> includes a set of tethers <NUM> that are coupled to the chassis <NUM>, such as at the corners of the chassis <NUM>. The tethers <NUM> are typically formed of a flexible material (e.g., may be metal cables or the like) and have lengths that are varied during operation of the motion assembly <NUM>. At a nominal length of the tethers <NUM>, the boat <NUM> floats naturally (or with neutral buoyancy) in the water <NUM>. The assembly <NUM> further includes a set of drivers <NUM> (i.e., one for each tether <NUM>), which operate in response to control signals from a simulator controller <NUM> to set the lengths of each of the tethers <NUM>. This may include operation of the drivers individually, in pairs, or in other combinations to achieve a desired boat-type motion (e.g., roll, sway, heave, pitch, surge, and yaw) by retracting one or more of the tethers <NUM> to reduce its length, which applies a motive force to the chassis <NUM> at the coupling location of an upper end of that tether <NUM> to the chassis <NUM> that acts to pull the boat down <NUM> into the water <NUM>. Alternatively, the operations may involve operating the drivers <NUM> to release the tether <NUM> to increase their lengths and allow the buoyancy of the boat <NUM> in the water <NUM> to push the boat <NUM> back upwards (at the location of the tether couplings to chassis for the releases tethers).

The system <NUM> further includes a simulator controller <NUM> that may take the form of nearly any computing device, and it includes a processor <NUM> managing operations of input/output devices <NUM> to allow an operator to provide input and to communicate with the sensor assembly <NUM> (to receive sensor data <NUM> in a wired or wireless manner), with the drivers <NUM> (to send control signals <NUM> to the drivers <NUM>), and with the display and audio system <NUM> (to communicate signals <NUM> to synchronize operation of the drivers <NUM> with the output of image and audio as shown with arrows <NUM> and <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> also executes code or program instructions, which may be stored in memory <NUM>, to provide the functions of a control module <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may also be used to store received sensor data <NUM> from the sensor assembly <NUM>, which the module <NUM> processes to determine how the boat is presently oriented and/or its motions caused by drivers <NUM> (or waves in water <NUM>) and to compare these with motions <NUM> defined in a show/simulation program <NUM> stored in memory <NUM> (or otherwise accessible by the control module <NUM>). If needed, the control module <NUM> may modify operations of the drivers <NUM> with control signals <NUM> to have the sensed movements of the boat <NUM> better match those defined by the boat motion s <NUM> in the program <NUM> (e.g., amount of retraction (or motion magnitude <NUM>) may vary with differing loads, with differing levels of the water <NUM>, and so on). The program <NUM> also defines timing <NUM> of the motions <NUM> as well as their magnitudes <NUM> (e.g., how much roll does the program require, which can be correlated with an amount of retraction of a tether <NUM> by a driver <NUM> or an amount of change in a length of a tether <NUM> by driver <NUM>). The timing <NUM> is often synchronized by the module <NUM> with operations of the display and audio system <NUM> via communicated sync signals <NUM> so that the drivers <NUM> are operated to achieve desired motions <NUM> for boat <NUM> when appropriate for visual and audio outputs <NUM> and <NUM>.

The system <NUM> further includes a projection dome and/or screen <NUM> in the simulation space <NUM>. A display and audio system <NUM> is also provided in (or near) the space <NUM> with components (e.g., projectors) for outputting imagery <NUM> onto the projection dome/screen <NUM> using video content/media <NUM> (e.g., a 2D or 3D movie or the like), and the boat motions <NUM> of the show/simulation program <NUM> may be designed to suit the content/media <NUM> displayed <NUM> on the dome/screen <NUM> to enhance the experience provided to the passengers in the boat <NUM>. Further, the system <NUM> includes audio equipment (e.g., speakers and the like) to output <NUM> audio using audio content or a soundtrack <NUM> paired with the video content/media <NUM>. Again, the video and audio output <NUM> and <NUM> is typically synchronized with the motions <NUM> to achieve a desired experience (e.g., see and hear crash of waves against boat with the boat being moved by the drivers <NUM> and its natural buoyancy in the water <NUM> as if the waves were real).

Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the combination and arrangement of parts can be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, as hereinafter claimed.

For example, the tether/drivers pairs may be motorized reels to control a length of a flexible member such as a cable, but these pairs may take other forms such as actuators (e.g., hydraulic actuators, electric actuators, or the like). In such embodiments, the actuators would each be configured to have an active state in which they are causing desired movements of the chassis <NUM> relative to the flume/pool bottom <NUM> and a de-energized state in which the boat <NUM> is allowed to float on the water <NUM> naturally (e.g., whenever the retraction load is released).

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>) for simulating boat motions, comprising:
a pool or flume containing water (<NUM>);
a passenger boat (<NUM>) on a surface (<NUM>) of the water (<NUM>); and
a motion assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a chassis (<NUM>) coupled to or integral with an underside (<NUM>) of the passenger boat (<NUM>);
a plurality of actuators each with a first end coupled to the chassis; and
wherein the passenger boat (<NUM>) floats naturally on the surface (<NUM>) of the water (<NUM>) in response to buoyancy forces acting on the underside (<NUM>) of the passenger boat (<NUM>) when the actuators are all in a de-energized state, and
wherein a boat-type motion is imparted upon the passenger boat (<NUM>) when one or more of the actuators operates to first impart a downward force on the chassis (<NUM>) to pull the passenger boat (<NUM>) toward a bottom of the pool or flume and to second move to a de-energized state to allow the buoyancy forces to push the passenger boat (<NUM>) back toward the surface (<NUM>) of the water (<NUM>);
wherein the actuators comprise tethers (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and drivers (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), the tethers (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) being coupled at a first end to the chassis (<NUM>) and at a second end to the drivers;
wherein each of the tethers (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprises an elongated flexible member; and
wherein the drivers (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) each comprises a motorized reel upon which the second end of the tether (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is wound.