HIGH-RESOLUTION VIRTUAL VEHICLE PRESENCE SENSOR

Number: 20260245466
Published: 2026-08-20
Filed: 2025-02-14
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: Kwo; Sylvester Venansius, Burns; Stephen, Myerson; Sarah Julia, Walters; Brian Foster, Tschanz; Michael, Hofer; Alicia, Bulnes; Rolando, Burbank; Brandyn Dean
CPC: G05B19/4189; G08G9/00; G08B21/182
Verdict: Medium Hardware
First reported: 2026-W36 (2026-09-05)
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

High-resolution virtual presence sensor that tells a ride system exactly where a vehicle is without physical trip sensors.

Abstract

Methods and systems for a high-resolution virtual vehicle presence sensor are discussed herein. For example, the virtual sensor system may include a plurality of sensors analyzing a known path and configured to determine path-based vehicle data corresponding to a path-based vehicle, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is positionally independent of each other sensor in the plurality of sensors. The virtual sensor system may further include a processing element configured to receive the path-based vehicle data from the plurality of sensors, calculate infilling kinematic data of the path-based vehicle at positions between the plurality of sensors based on the path-based vehicle data and known path information corresponding to the known path, and generate a visualization of the infilling kinematic data, the path-based vehicle data, and the known path information. The virtual sensor system may further include a display configured to display the visualization.

Background

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for determining and analyzing path-based vehicle data. BACKGROUND

Amusement parks, manufacturing facilities, mailrooms, warehouses, and various industries use path-based vehicles to provide experiences for guests or increase efficiency in the production, transportation, and storage of goods. For example, path-based vehicles may be used to transport users on a roller coaster, organize and/or deliver products in a warehouse, transport parts and goods on an assembly line, or sort mail within a warehouse.

However, current path-based vehicles and the data received from the path-based vehicles are deficient in numerous ways. For example, sensors are placed only in select places/segments across the path used by the path-based vehicles, providing low-resolution data that is hard to analyze, for example, to determine a location of the path-based vehicle when between low-resolution sensors. Such existing sensing systems are particularly deficient when the path-based vehicle needs to be analyzed in between sensor placements. It may be hard to decipher and/or visualize vehicle states and errors from the low-resolution data obtained from the sparsely placed sensors. Attempts to correct these deficiencies by adding more physical sensors are also deficient, as placing numerous physical sensors along the path is cost prohibitive to maintain, wire, and control. SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a virtua

Claims

1. A virtual sensor system for a path system including a known path and a path-based vehicle configured to travel along the known path comprising: a plurality of sensors distributed along the known path and configured to determine vehicle data corresponding to a path-based vehicle, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is positionally independent of each other sensor in the plurality of sensors; and a processing element configured to: receive vehicle data from the plurality of sensors as the path-based vehicle travels along the known path, and determine infilling kinematic data representative of the path-based vehicle at one or more positions between the plurality of sensors based on the vehicle data and known path characteristics corresponding to the known path, wherein the infilling kinematic data and the vehicle data is used to generate a system model of the path system. || 12. A method for a path system including a known path and a path-based vehicle configured to travel along the known path, the method comprising: receiving first vehicle data from a first sensor analyzing the known path at a first position and second vehicle data from a second sensor analyzing the known path at a second position as the path-based vehicle travels along the known path; determining third vehicle data based on the first vehicle data and the second vehicle data and based on known path characteristics corresponding to the known path, wherein the third vehicle data comprises vehicle data between the first position and the second position; and generating a combined visualization of the first vehicle data, the second vehicle data, and the third vehicle data for output, wherein the combined visualization comprises a system model of the path system.