Autonomous drone/robot ride-inspection hardware (granted, dup cluster).
A system for autonomously inspecting intrusions into a reach envelope of a vehicle traveling along a ride path of a park ride. The system includes a test vehicle that travels along the ride path at test speeds. The system includes a reach envelope inspection assembly including a housing supported by the test vehicle. The reach envelope inspection assembly includes a distance measurement assembly in the housing operable to measure distances between the distance measurement assembly and surfaces of the physical environment. The inspection assembly includes a processor executing code to provide an examination program that compares the plurality of distances to one or more predefined reach envelopes to determine whether an intrusion into any of the one or more predefined reach envelopes exists along the ride path. The test vehicle is a ride vehicle for the park ride or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated to follow the ride path.
BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Description (1) The present description relates, in general, to methods and systems for use performing safety inspections, and, more particularly, to methods and systems for use in confirming, in amusement park rides and other environments where safety envelopes are of concern, that one or more predefined reach envelopes are present such as about a ride vehicle as it moves along a ride path (e.g., moves along a length of track or along a defined path for a trackless attraction). 2. Relevant Background (2) With any amusement park ride, safety is one of the most important design parameters. Particularly, amusement park rides that involve a passenger vehicle rolling along a track, or along a ride path for a trackless attraction such as a water ride or a dark ride, are designed to maintain a safety envelope about the vehicle along the entire length of the track. For example, safety standards set by a park operator or industry groups may define a reach envelope for rides that define the amount of space that is free of obstacles (e.g., set or theme elements) about the vehicle. This space or volume is often labeled a “reach envelope” (or passenger reach clearance envelope) and may be thought of as defining a distance from a typical passenger position that should be free of any object that may be contacted or “reached” by a passenger as the vehicle carrying the passenger passes along the ride path. Further, the reach or safety envelope may be defined to inc
1. A system for inspecting intrusions into a reach envelope of a ride vehicle of a park ride, the system comprising: a test vehicle configured to travel along a ride path at one or more test speeds; and a reach envelope inspection assembly comprising a distance measurement assembly and a processor, wherein the distance measurement assembly is configured to measure a plurality of distances between the distance measurement assembly and surfaces of a physical environment of the park ride while the test vehicle travels along the ride path at the one or more test speeds, wherein the processor is configured to execute code to compare the plurality of distances to one or more reach envelopes to determine whether an intrusion into any of the one or more reach envelopes exists along the ride path, wherein the test vehicle comprises the ride vehicle configured to carry at least one passenger during operation of the park ride or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated to follow the ride path, and wherein the reach envelope inspection assembly is removably mounted to the test vehicle. ||
6. A system for inspecting intrusions into a reach envelope of a ride vehicle of a park ride, the system comprising: a test vehicle configured to travel along a ride path at one or more test speeds; a reach envelope inspection assembly comprising a distance measurement assembly and a processor; and a wayside inspection assembly adjacent the ride path including a sensor configured to capture an inspection result, wherein the distance measurement assembly is configured to measure a plurality of distances between the distance measurement assembly and surfaces of a physical environment of the park ride while the test vehicle travels along the ride path at the one or more test speeds, wherein the processor is configured to execute code to compare the plurality of distances to one or more reach envelopes to determine whether an intrusion into any of the one or more reach envelopes exists along the ride path, wherein the test vehicle comprises the ride vehicle configured to carry at least one passenger during operation of the park ride or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated to follow the ride path, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the intrusion into any of the one or more reach envelopes exists along the ride path further based on the inspection result. ||
10. A method for inspecting intrusions into a reach envelope of a ride vehicle of a park ride, the method comprising: moving a test vehicle, supporting a reach envelope inspection assembly, along a ride path at one or more test speeds; during the moving of the test vehicle, operating a distance measurement assembly of the reach envelope inspection assembly to measure a plurality of distances between the distance measurement assembly and surfaces of a physical environment of the park ride; and comparing the plurality of distances to one or more reach envelopes to determine whether an intrusion into any of the one or more reach envelopes exists along the ride path, wherein the test vehicle comprises the ride vehicle configured to carry at least one passenger during operation of the park ride or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated to follow the ride path, and wherein the reach envelope inspection assembly is removably mounted to the test vehicle. ||
17. A system for inspecting intrusions into a reach envelope of a ride vehicle of a park ride, the system comprising: a test vehicle configured to travel along a ride path at one or more test speeds; and a reach envelope inspection assembly comprising a distance measurement assembly and a processor, wherein the distance measurement assembly is configured to measure a plurality of distances between the distance measurement assembly and surfaces of a physical environment of the park ride while the test vehicle travels along the ride path at the one or more test speeds, wherein the processor is configured to execute code to compare the plurality of distances to one or more reach envelopes to determine whether an intrusion into any of the one or more reach envelopes exists along the ride path, and wherein the test vehicle comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to fly along the ride path.