Programming device and method for controlling ride vehicles in an amusement attraction

A method of programming a programmable ride vehicle that moves along a path of an amusement attraction to thereby present different surroundings to passengers of the ride vehicle, the ride vehicle having a passenger supporting structure and a plurality of mechanical elements, wherein one of the mechanical elements comprises a motion base that articulates the passenger supporting structure with respect to the ride vehicle in synchronicity with the motion of the ride vehicle and the change in surroundings to the passengers occasioned by the motion of the ride vehicle, the ride vehicle also having a computer that controls actuation of the mechanical elements in accordance with an output file stored in a programmable memory, said method using a programming device, operatively coupled to controls of the ride vehicle or a ride vehicle sensor corresponding to each mechanical element, to monitor response of the mechanical elements to a corresponding actuation signal, each sensor providing a response signal indicative thereof, said method of programming comprising:

• moving the ride vehicle along the path;
• actuating the mechanical elements;
• recording the actuation signal or the response signal corresponding to the mechanical element which has been actuated to thereby record actions of that mechanical element;
• associating the recorded actions with an index including an elapsed time, a position of the ride vehicle along the path, or an externally-supplied trigger;
• generating a data file, including a sequence of the recorded actions, using the index;
• removing the data file to an off-line editor and visually displaying a curve representing extent of actuation of the mechanical element with respect to time, position or the index;
• using the off-line editor to alter a shape of the curve, to thereby generate an output file that will be used by the computer of the ride vehicle to control automatic actuation of the mechanical elements;
• and
• downloading the output file into the programmable memory of the ride vehicle, such that the output file is accessible by the computer of the ride vehicle, the computer accessing the output file to control the actuation of the mechanical elements.

In an electronic control system for controlling programmable ride vehicles in an amusement attraction, an electronic programming device used to program the ride vehicles to have a ride program, the ride vehicle having a passenger supporting structure, a mechanical element, a sensor that provides response signals corresponding to actuation of the mechanical element, and a logic system that controls actuation of the mechanical element, the ride vehicle having a vehicle-end coupling that provides electrical connection between said electronic programming device and the logic system, said electronic programming device comprising:

• a control mechanism having control signal outputs that cause actuation of the mechanical element;
• a device-end coupling that connects to the vehicle-end coupling of the ride vehicle, said device-end coupling coupling actuation signals from said electronic programming device to the ride vehicle to control actuation of the mechanical element using said programming device;
• a computer having a monitor, memory and software, said computer receiving said control signal outputs, selectively modifying said control signal outputs to derive said actuation signals, and transmitting said actuation signals to said device-end coupling;
• wherein said memory stores sequences of data in parallel data tracks corresponding to the actuation of the mechanical element, said sequences indexed by position of the ride vehicle along the path, elapsed time, or sensed external triggers;
• wherein said software modifies said control signals by
• passing prerecorded ones of said parallel data tracks as said actuation signals from said memory to the ride vehicle, or
• generating said actuation signals for the mechanical element in dependence upon said control signal outputs;
• and
• wherein said software records motion signals representing actuation of the generated actuation signals, said motion signals being one of the generated actuation signals and response signals from sensors that sense actuation of the mechanical element, said motion signals recorded upon corresponding data tracks in said memory.