Ride motion-simulator hardware.
A boat motion simulator or system configured specially to impart boat-type motions (e.g., roll, sway, heave, pitch, surge, and yaw) to a passenger boat. The simulator or system is also configured 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 naturally 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 and 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.
BACKGROUND Field of the Description (1) The present description relates, in general, to systems adapted to simulate motion of passenger vehicles, and, more particularly, to a system, which may be used in attractions of amusement and theme parks and other settings, designed to simulate motions of a boat in open waters for passengers on or in the boat. Relevant Background (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. T
1. A system for simulating boat motions, comprising: a pool adapted to contain water to a predefined water level; a volume of water in the pool; a passenger boat on a surface of the volume of water; and a motion assembly comprising: 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; a plurality of tethers each with a first end coupled to the chassis; and a plurality of drivers each coupled with a second end of one of the tethers, wherein the passenger boat floats on the surface of the volume of water in response to buoyancy forces of the volume of water acting on the underside of the passenger boat when the tethers each have a nominal length, wherein 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, and wherein each of the tethers comprises an elongated flexible member configured such that the motion assembly provides substantially no vertical support of the passenger boat when the boat-type motion is being imparted upon the passenger boat. ||
9. A system for simulating boat motions, comprising: a structure containing water; a passenger boat in the water; a chassis on a bottom surface of the passenger boat with four coupling members arranged in a rectangular pattern; four cables each having a first end attached to one of the four coupling members; and four drivers each connected to a second end of one of the four cables, wherein the four drivers are independently and concurrently operable to pull the cables toward a bottom of the structure to selectively first pull the passenger boat toward the bottom of the structure by applying a downward force at one or more of the coupling members and second release the boat to rise up from the bottom of the structure, whereby a set of boat motions are applied sequentially to the passenger boat, and wherein each of the four cables comprises a flexible member and the passenger boat floats upon the water due to buoyancy forces when the four cables are at a nominal length. ||
15. A system for simulating boat motions, comprising: a pool or flume containing water; a passenger boat floating on a surface of the water; and a motion assembly comprising: a chassis coupled to or integral with an underside of the passenger boat; and three or more actuators coupled at three or more coupling points with the chassis, wherein 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 actuators are all in a de-energized state, and wherein a boat-type motion is imparted upon the passenger boat when one or more of the actuators operates to first impart a downward force on the chassis at one of the coupling points to pull the passenger boat toward a bottom of the pool and to second move to a de-energized state to allow the buoyancy forces to push the passenger boat back toward the surface of the water.