Multi-stage water effect system
AssigneeUniversal City Studios LLC
InventorsSean Michael Lowry, Gregory Shellman Hall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-stage water effect system includes a plurality of water ride vehicles. A water ride vehicle of the plurality of water ride vehicles has one or more water effect devices. The multi-stage water effect system also includes a control system communicatively coupled to the one or more water effect devices of the plurality of water ride vehicles. The control system activates the one or more water effect devices of the water ride vehicle to provide a first fluid flow at a first time. The control system also activates the one or more water effect devices of the water ride vehicle to provide a second fluid flow at a second time.
Claims19
A multi-stage water effect system, comprising:
- a water ride vehicle comprising one or more water effect devices;
- a plurality of sensors configured to obtain feedback associated with an interaction between the water ride vehicle and one or more objects, wherein the plurality of sensors is disposed on the one or more objects, on the water ride vehicle, or both;
- a control system communicatively coupled to the one or more water effect devices of the water ride vehicle, wherein the control system is configured to:
- receive feedback from at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors, the feedback indicating the water ride vehicle is within a threshold range of the one or more water effect devices;
- select a stage of operation from a plurality of stages of operation, wherein the plurality of stages of operation comprises a first stage of operation associated with a first flow rate of fluid from the one or more water effect devices and a second stage of operation associated with a second flow rate of the fluid from the one or more water effect devices;
- and
- activate the one or more water effect devices of the water ride vehicle to provide a fluid flow based on the selected stage of operation.
A water ride system comprising:
- a water ride vehicle comprising a plurality of water effect devices configured to provide a fluid flow within the water ride vehicle;
- a plurality of sensors configured to obtain feedback associated with an interaction between the water ride vehicle and a plurality of objects, wherein the plurality of sensors is disposed on one or more objects of the plurality of objects, on the water ride vehicle, or both;
- a control system communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and the plurality of water effect devices, wherein the control system is configured to:
- receive feedback from at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors, wherein the feedback is indicative of a distance between the water ride vehicle and at least one object of the plurality of objects;
- select a stage of operation from a plurality of stages of operation based on the distance between the water ride vehicle and the at least one object, wherein the plurality of stages of operation comprises a first stage of operation associated with a first flow rate of fluid from a first subset of the plurality of water effect devices and a second stage of operation associated with a second flow rate of the fluid from a second subset of the plurality of water effect devices;
- activate the first subset of the plurality of water effect devices to provide the fluid at the first flow rate in response to selection of the first stage of operation;
- and
- activate the second subset of the plurality of water effect devices to provide the fluid at the second flow rate in response to selection of the second stage of operation, wherein the first flow rate is different than the second flow rate.
A method performed by a control system, the method comprising:
- receiving feedback from a plurality of sensors, wherein the feedback comprises a force of impact between a water ride vehicle and at least one object of one or more objects, wherein the plurality of sensors is disposed on the one or more objects, on the water ride vehicle, or both;
- determining a stage of operation for the water ride vehicle based on the feedback;
- and
- activating a plurality of water effect devices to provide a fluid flow via one or more water effect devices of the plurality of water effect devices based on the stage of operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.