Granted continuation of #108 (occupant-awareness ride-vehicle sensing hardware).
A method for controlling a ride experience through a ride space of an amusement park ride. The method includes, with a sensor mounted on an automated trackless vehicle being controlled to travel along a first ride path, sensing passenger data for a passenger. The method involves processing the passenger data to determine a passenger state at a particular point in timeduring the ride experience. The method includes determining a location of the automated trackless vehicle on the first ride path. The method involves, based on the passenger stateand the location of the automated trackless vehicle on the first ride path, determining asecond ride path for the automated trackless vehicle to move through the ride space. The method includes controlling the automated trackless vehicle to move off the first ride path and along the second ride path, e.g., to alter the passenger's state to enhance the rideexperience.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic or functional block drawing of a ride or ride system operating to manage progression ofa vehicle through a ride or travel space and/or show element operations based on a determined “state” of a passenger of the vehicle;(2) FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a method of (or algorithm for) managing a passenger's ride experience based on emotional states of the vehicle's passenger(s) such as by operation of the ride system of FIG. 1;(3) FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a portion of a ride system illustrating its operations to modify movement of the vehicle (changing the ride system operations) in response to passenger state;(4) FIGS.4A and 4B illustrate a portion of a ride system, similar to FIGS. 3A and 3B, illustratingits operations to modify operation of a display element (e.g., changing displayed content) in response to passenger state; and(5) FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a method of (or algorithm for) managing vehicle behavior based in part upon an occupant's (or passenger's) state.DETAILED DESCRIPTION(6) The following description is directed toward sensing and managing vehicle behavior based on a sensed and/or determined state of a vehicle passenger. Here, the term “state” of a passenger is intended to have a broad meaning and may correspond with a level of attentiveness, with an emotional state, or with other passenger characteristics relating to a ride experience. Briefly, the control methods and systems taught here
1. A method of controlling a ride experience through a ride space of an amusement park ride, comprising: with a sensor mounted on or provide within an automated trackless vehicle being controlled to travel along a first ride path, sensing passenger data for a passenger of the automated trackless vehicle; processing the passenger data to determine a passenger state; determining a location of the automated trackless vehicle on the first ride path; based on the passenger state and the location of the automated trackless vehicle on the first ride path, determining a second ride path for the automated trackless vehicle to move through the ride space; and controlling the automated trackless vehicle to move off the first ride path and along the second ride path, wherein the sensor comprises a camera and the passenger data comprises a digital image of the face of the passenger, wherein the passenger state is an emotional state or a level of attention of the passenger generated during the processing of the passenger data based on a facial expressionidentified in the digital image of the face of the passenger, and wherein the processing step includes comparing the emotional state or the level of attention with ranges of values for emotional state or level of attention, respectively, that are predefined for the amusement park ride.
2. A method of controlling a ride experience through a ride space of an amusement park ride, comprising: with a sensor mounted on or provide within an automated trackless vehicle being controlled to travel along a first ride path, sensing passenger data for a passenger of the automated trackless vehicle; processing the passenger data to determine a passenger state; determining a location of the automated trackless vehicle on thefirst ride path; when the passenger state is outside a predefined range of passenger states for the amusement park ride, determining a second ride path for the automated tracklessvehicle to move through the ride space; and controlling the automated trackless vehicle to move off the first ride path and along the second ride path, wherein the ride space includes first display elements along the first ride path and second display elements along the second ride path that differ from the first display elements, whereby the second ride path is selected during the ride experience to move the passenger state into or toward the predefined range of passenger states for the amusement park ride.
3. A method of controlling a ride experience through a ride space of an amusement park ride, comprising: with a sensor mounted on or provide within an automated trackless vehicle being controlled to travelalong a first ride path, sensing passenger data for a passenger of the automated trackless vehicle; processing the passenger data to determine a passenger state; determining a location of the automated trackless vehicle on the first ride path; based on the passenger state and the location of the automated trackless vehicle on the first ride path, determining a second ride path for the automated trackless vehicle to move through the ride space; and controlling the automated trackless vehicle to move off the first ride path and along the second ride path, wherein the passenger data comprises a physiological parameter of thepassenger, and wherein the processing comprises determining the physiological parameter is outside a range of goal values for the physiological parameter for a passenger during the ride experience.