US 4,066,256 AGranted

Amusement ride

AssigneesFuture General Corporation, Standard Alliance Industries, Inc.

InventorDouglas Trumbull

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Abstract

A relatively inexpensive and compact ride for an amusement park and the like, which creates the illusion that the passengers are seated in a rapidly maneuvering vehicle, by applying forces to the passenger in synchronism with the display of a motion picture image. The apparatus includes a passenger-holding frame which has three locations resting on hydraulic rams that can tilt the frame or move it up and down, and a film projector and viewing screen connected to the frame to move with it. When the motion picture simulates the view from a vehicle that is turning to the right, the rams are operated to tilt the vehicle to the left, to simulate the centrifugal forces that would result from a vehicle turning to the right. When the motion picture indicates forward acceleration, the vehicle is tipped backwardly. When the motion picture indicates vertical acceleration, the rams are rapidly moved up or down.

Claims2

Dependent claims

An amusement ride apparatus, comprising:

a passenger-holding frame;
image means including screen means viewable by passengers in said frame, and means forming a predetermined motion picture image viewable by looking at said screen means and representing the veiw from a moving vehicle;
and
drive means for selectively moving each of a plurality of spaced locations on said frame vertically to change the position of said passenger-holding frame in synchronism with changes in said image, in a manner that generates resulting physical forces on occupants of said frame simulating at least some of the forces that would be applied to them in actual motion of the frame of the type depicted by said image, said image means being constructed to move with said passenger-holding frame;
said frame having a front portion nearest said screen means, a rear portion opposite said front portion, a pair of opposite sides, a centerline that lies halfway between said sides, and a vertical axis;
and
said drive means incuding three primarily vertical hydraulic rams, a first of said rams located at said front portion of said frame near said centerline, and a second and third of said rams being located at said rear portion of said frame on opposite sides of said centerline;
each of said rams being tilted away from the vertical
in the same direction rlative to outwardly and inwardly of the frame so that the upper ends of the rams are each spaced a predetermined distance from the vertical axis of the frame which is different than the spacing of the lower ends of the rams, from said axis, whereby each ram provides a small horizontal force to the frame which is always in the same direction.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.