Theme or amusement park attraction using high frame rate active shutter technology

Story driven, media-based experiences have been developed for theme parks and attractions. Typically, guests move from scene to scene in subsequent rooms or areas either via a ride vehicle, moving walkway or belt, or by walking. However, everyone sees the same images and has the same experience. Accordingly, improvements are needed in these and related types of attractions and systems.

The field of the invention is theme or amusement park attraction using high frame rate active shutter technology. The attraction includes a system that combines a group experience with 2D or 3D images. Utilizing high frame rate image or projection technology, single or multiple projection screens, surfaces, spaces or displays (collectively referred to here as screens) may be provided in an attraction, with each screen simultaneously displaying images that are unique to each individual viewing the screen. The immersive attraction can be scaled to fit the commercial facility in which it is being integrated such as gaming arcade, amusement or theme park and upgraded to include user interactivity.

The system simultaneously creates images that, at least at certain time intervals, are only visible to a certain subsets of guests. Although all guests are watching the same screen, they may see entirely different video or motion images. This allows the attraction to present more complex story narratives, and also allows the images to be matched to specific guests.

In the drawings the same element number indicates the same element in each of the views.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a second embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , an attraction may be a linear walkthrough experience or an open arena style experience. Guests are provided high frame rate active shutter 3D glasses 26 , 28 , 30 to wear throughout the experience. The projectors 24 located within the attraction are high frame rate projectors, for example projectors capable of projecting video content at 120 FPS, 240 FPS, 360 FPS or higher. The frames may be segmented into groups of 30 to 60 frame packets and synchronized with the active shutter glasses. Therefore, a 360 FPS projector can deliver 6 simultaneous video feeds of 60 FPS at a time. Optionally, a motion and/or position detection/capture system 16 is linked to sensors in the room or space 20 to track the guest position or movement, as shown in FIG. 1 , or handheld interactive devices 42 , and/or a body mounted beacon 44 as shown in FIG. 2 . This enables a layer of interactivity that is custom to each guest's own visual media content feed. Custom audio synchronized with the custom video media may be provided to guests via ear pods, headphones, or sound speakers on or in the glasses.

In attractions where guests are in or on a ride vehicle 50 , the position and/or movement of a ride vehicle may be tracked. In this case, individual guests or their handheld interactive devices need not also be individually tracked. For example, with multiple ride vehicles in a single room, and multiple guests in each ride vehicle, the system may provide guests in each ride vehicle a point of view, or with video programming, unique to their vehicle, and different from the other ride vehicles. Custom audio may be provided by sound speakers in or on the vehicle.

The projectors 24 and the control system 10 and the synchronizing system 14 may be linked to each other via wire or wirelessly. The active shutter glasses are linked to the synchronizing system 14 and/or the control system 10 wirelessly. As used here, “room” includes a space or location, including outdoor spaces. The projectors and screens 22 may be replaced by other types of displays. The screens may be omitted with images created on other surfaces or spaces, such as with holographic images. The projection or image system 12 creates moving images visible to the guests. Generally, a projection or image system 12 may use front or rear projection, LED displays, and similar or equivalent techniques. The users wearing the active shutter glasses may move through the attraction on a vehicle, moving platforms, elevators, escalators, moving walkways, etc. As used here simultaneously means events or actions occurring sufficiently close in time that the temporal difference between them is not perceptible to humans. The active shutter glasses may be eyeglasses, a face visor or face shield, with or without using a headpiece or helmet. For vehicle applications, the active shutter glasses may alternatively be a viewing window or port.

Thus, in one aspect, an entertainment system includes a sequence of projection rooms, each projection room including a high frame rate image projection system for projecting 2D and/or 3D images, and an audio system 52 for providing audio in the room. A control system is linked to the image projection system, the audio system, motion capture system and the control system accessing stored digital content. An integrated synchronizing system of active shutter glasses disseminates media content frames to specific users within the projection area. Each user will then see different digital content within the same projection area as other users.

Thus, novel systems and methods have been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.