US 5,382,026 AGranted

Multiple participant moving vehicle shooting gallery

AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company

InventorsAlbert F. Harvard, Kenneth R. Brooke

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An interactive system that employs moving vehicles in which participants ride and from which they engage computer-generated pop-up and prepositioned simulated targets using simulated weapons. The vehicle carries the participants a predetermined distance using a track or trough-guidance mechanism through a covered and darkened path as they engage the simulated targets. Each participant operates independently of the others and engages targets that are displayed during travel along the track. The participants occupy seats having safety restraints, and operate a fixed, swivel-based simulated weapon and sight it to fixed targets having predetermined locations and to the targets generated by a computer in accordance with a preselected scenario. Each vehicle has a transponder that provides continual broadcasts of location and game data. This coordinated data specifically locates a moving eyepoint so that the portrayed scenes can be made geometrically correct. This also gives the illusion of 3-D depth through perspective and parallax effects.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A multiple participant moving vehicle shooting gallery system comprising:

an enclosure for defining a darkened lengthy path;
a track adapted to move a plurality of vehicles through the darkened path within the enclosure;
at least one vehicle disposed on the track, said at least one vehicle comprising means for seating a participant, a simulated weapon that is actuable by the participant and which is adapted to respond to light emitted from simulated moving targets in projected images, and first communication means for communicating data and control information to and from the vehicle;
a projection system comprising a plurality of rear-screen projectors and plurality of speakers disposed adjacent the track, and a plurality of projection screens disposed adjacent the track between the projectors and the vehicle, said projection screens forming a substantial portion of said enclosure, and wherein the projectors are adapted to project images onto the screens that comprise the simulated moving targets, and wherein the plurality of speakers are adapted to project sound in conjunction with the projected images;
a control station, comprising a computer, a video processor, a sound system including a sound processor and the plurality of speakers, second communication means for communicating data and control information to the first communication means in the vehicle, means for controlling an adjustable game scenario comprising a story line, wherein said adjustable game scenario comprises a plurality of scenes, each scene comprising images and sounds, including images and sounds representative of the simulated targets, and being projected on a different projection screen, and the projection of images and sound representative of the adjustable game scenario and the simulated targets to which the participants respond, means for varying the order of the playing of the scenes and for selecting the projection screen to play said scene, means for controlling the movement of the vehicle along the track, and means for processing hits and misses scored by the participants in response to operation of the weapon.

2 more elements

A multiple participant moving vehicle shooting gallery system comprising:

an enclosure for defining a darkened lengthy path;
a track adapted to move a plurality of vehicles through the darkened path within the enclosure;
at least one vehicle disposed on the track, said at least one vehicle comprising means for seating a participant, a simulated weapon that is actuable by the participant, and first communication means for communicating data and control information to and from the vehicle;
a projection system comprising a plurality rear-screen projectors and plurality of speakers disposed adjacent the track, and a plurality of projection screens disposed adjacent the track between the projectors and the vehicle, said projection screens forming a substantial portion of said enclosure, and wherein the projectors are adapted to project images onto the screens that comprise the simulated moving targets, and wherein the plurality of speakers are adapted to project sound in conjunction with the projected images;
a control station, comprising a computer, a video processor, a sound system including a sound processor and the plurality of speakers, second communication means for communicating data and control information to the first communication means in the vehicle, means for controlling a plurality of different game scenarios each comprising a different story line, wherein said game scenarios each comprise at least one scene comprising images and sounds, including images and sounds representative of the simulated targets, and being projected on a different projection screen to represent said game scenario and the simulated targets to which the participants respond, so that as said vehicle moves along said track, each of said plurality of game scenarios is encountered by the participant in sequence, means for varying the order of the playing of the scenes and for selecting the projection screen to play said scene to provide variety in the order of said game scenarios encountered by the participant along said track, means for controlling the movement of the vehicle along the track, and means for processing hits and misses scored by the participants in response to operation of the weapon;
said system further characterized in that each vehicle traverses the same path without regard to said scoring by the participants.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/210,094Filed 17 Mar 1994 · continuation
Priority: 23 Sep 1991
Granted: 17 Jan 1995
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A63F 9/0291
Shooting or hurling games: with a simulated projectile, e.g. an image on a screen
F41G 3/2661
For simulating the firing of a gun or the trajectory of a projectile: in which the light beam is sent from the target to the weapon
G09B 9/05
For teaching control of land vehicles: the view from a vehicle being simulated
A63F
Card, board, or roulette games