17 through the fluid passageway 34 to the effect emitter 12. The control system 29 may instruct opening of and/or closing of the control valve 42 based on measurements and/or information from the sensor 38 and communication system 37 in the same manner as described above, for example, the control system 29 may instruct closing of the control valve 42 if the presence of the guest 16 is not detected by the sensor 38. In some embodiments, the control system 29 may instruct opening of and/or closing of the control valve 42 to a certain finite extent to regulate pressure of the substance required to generate the special effect 17 from the effect source 20 sent to the fluid passageway 34. Alternatively, or in combination with the above-described controls aspect, the control valve 42 may include a regulator, or a regulator may be included in the effect source 20, to regulate pressure. The automation controller 28 may be instructed via the processor 30 to instruct the regulator or the control valve 42 in the manner described above. In other words, in general, the control system 29 instruct regulation of pressure of the substance required to generate the special effect 17 being supplied to the fluid passageway 34 (and, eventually, to the effect emitter 12) based on environmental factors or other inputs supplied by the sensor 38 and/or the communication system 37 that are impactful to the special effect 17. The pressure may be regulated using the pressure regulator 31 as described above, for example a pump, compressor, a blower, a fan, or a retracting bladder.

In addition to the special effects system 11 as described above, the reactive show action equipment system 10 may include the show action equipment 18. The show action equipment 18 includes the show action controller 43, which may include a show action processor 45 and a memory 48. It should be understood that the control system 29 may also include the show action controller 43. It should also be understood that the show action controller 43 may be the same controller as the automation controller 28.

The control system 29 receives data indicative of a characteristic of the special effect 17 from, for example, the sensor 38 and/or an effects sensor 39. For example, the sensor 38 and/or the effects sensor 39 may provide data regarding a characteristic of the special effect 17, such as the type of special effect 17 that is produced, (e.g., a flame effect, a fluid spray effect, a fog/smoke effect, a bubble effect a confetti effect, and/or a foam effect), the location of the special effect 17, and the pressure of the special effect 17. The control system 29 may execute computer readable instructions (e.g., a computer program) on the memory 48, which represents a tangible (non-transitory), machine-readable medium. The computer program may include logic that considers the data indicative of the characteristic of the special effect 17 from the sensor 38, which may represent one or more different sensors, and/or the effects sensor 39, which may also represent one or more different sensors, and determines a reaction for the reactive show action equipment system 10, based on the data indicative of the characteristic of the special effect 17 received from the sensor 38 and/or the effects sensor 39. The reaction for the reactive show action equipment system 10 may be at least (1) moving movable features of the show action equipment 18, (2) an audio reaction, (3) a lighting reaction, or (4) adjusting the direction, volume, or other aspects of a subsequent special effect 17 generated by the special effects system 11. Each is described below.

In an embodiment, the reaction for the show action equipment 18 is for the show action equipment 18 to move a moveable feature of the show action equipment 18. For example, if the special effect 17 is a fluid spray effect, the direction of the fluid spray effect and distance the fluid spray effect travels may each vary depending on environmental factors such as wind, precipitation, humidity, and the like. Thus, the effect sensor 39 may detect the presence of the fluid spray at a particular location in the environment 40 after the fluid spray effect has been generated. The effect sensor 39 may then communicate with the control system 29 which may determine that the reaction for the show action equipment 18 is to make the show action equipment 18 remove the fluid spray or fluid that has been sprayed (e.g., move in a way that appears to be wiping up the fluid spray or appears to be wiping away the fluid that has been sprayed). The control system 29 then instructs a subset of the plurality of actuators 15 in the show action equipment 18 to accomplish that movement in the particular location in the environment 40. The control system 29 may use a lookup table configured to designate the subset of the plurality of actuators 15 based on the data indicative of the characteristic of the special effect 17.

For example, if the special effect 17 is a fog/smoke effect, the effect sensor 39 may detect the presence of the fog/smoke in the environment 40 after the fog/smoke effect has been generated by the special effects system 11. The direction of the fog/smoke and distance it travels may each vary depending on environmental factors such as wind, precipitation, humidity, and the like. The effect sensor 39 may then detect the location of the fog/smoke effect in the environment 40 and communicate with the control system 29, which may determine that the reaction for the show action equipment 18 is to remove the fog/smoke (e.g., “cough” or “wave away” the fog/smoke) and instructs the subset of the plurality of actuators 15 in the show action equipment 18 to remove the fog/smoke.

For example, if the special effect 17 is a flame effect, the effect sensor 39 may detect the presence of the flame in the environment 40 after the flame effect has been generated by the special effects system 11. The control system 29 may determine that the reaction for the show action equipment 18 is to extinguish the flame (e.g., “blow out” the flame) and instructs the subset of the plurality of actuators 15 in the show action equipment 18 to extinguish the flame.

For example, if the special effect 17 is bubbles or foam, the effect sensor 39 may detect the presence of bubbles or foam in the environment 40 after the bubbles or foam have been generated by the special effects system 11. The effect sensor 39 may then communicate with the control system 29, which may determine that the reaction for the show action equipment 18 is to remove or destroy the bubbles or foam (e.g., pop the bubbles or foam) and instructs the subset of the plurality of actuators 15 in the show action equipment 18 to remove or destroy the bubbles or foam.

For example, if the special effect 17 is confetti, the effect sensor 39 may detect the presence of confetti in the environment 40 after the confetti has been generated by the special effects system 11. The effect sensor 39 may then communicate with the control system 29, which may determine that the reaction for the show action equipment 18 is to at least gather or remove the confetti (e.g., “sweep up” the confetti) and instructs the subset of the plurality of actuators 15 in the show action equipment 18 to at least gather or remove the confetti.

In a subset of a plurality of examples, the control system 29 instructs the show action equipment 18 to react to the special effect 17, after that special effect 17 has been generated by the special effects system 11 and has been detected by the effect sensor 39. The effect sensor 39 detects the special effect 17 as well as characteristics of the special effect 17, such as the location of the special effect 17, which may be influenced by environmental factors as described above. The effect sensor 39 then provides the data indicative of the special effect 17 to the control system 29, which determines a reaction of the show action equipment 18 based on the data indicative of the special effect 17. It should be understood that the control system 29 may include the show action controller 43 and the automation controller 28. It should also be understood that the show action controller 43 may be the same controller as the automation controller 28. In another embodiment, the automation controller 28 may be a separate controller than the show action controller 43.

In addition to reactions of the show action equipment 18 that are movements of the show action equipment 18, the show action equipment 18 may react in a different way, such as, for example, by producing an audio effect or a lighting effect. In an embodiment, audio equipment 35 associated with the show action equipment 18 may be instructed by the control system 29 to play a certain phrase or make a certain noise in the direction of the special effect 17 as determined by the data indicative of the special effect 17 provided to the control system 29 by the effect sensor 39. The audio equipment 35 may be, for example, a speaker that is onboard the show action equipment 18, or a speaker that is in the environment 40. The certain phrase or noise may be dependent on the data indicative of the special effect 17, for example the type of special effect 17, as detected by, for example, the effects sensor 39. In another embodiment, the reaction of the show action equipment 18 to the special effect 17 detected by the effect sensor 39 may be a combination of movements and audio. In yet another embodiment, a lighting effect (e.g., a beam of light) may be directed by the control system 29 based on a location of the special effect 17. The lighting effect may be provided in conjunction with movement and/or audio.

The reaction of the reactive show action equipment system 10 also includes adjusting at least the direction, volume, or other aspects of the subsequent special effect 17 generated by the special effects system 11, as described in more detail with regard to FIGS. 2 and 3 below.

As described above regarding the determination of the type of special effect 17 the effect emitter 12 produces, in an embodiment, the control system 29 may use a lookup table, or lookup tables, to determine the reaction of the show action equipment 18 based in part on the data indicative of the special effect 17. For example, the lookup tables may include mappings between data indicative of the special effect 17 (e.g., type of special effect 17, location of special effect 17) and corresponding desired reaction of the show action equipment 18 (e.g., when the special effect 17 is a fluid spray effect, the reaction will be actuating the subset of the plurality of actuators 15 on or in the show action equipment 18 to remove the fluid spray or the fluid that has been sprayed).

In another embodiment, the control system 29 may use a machine learning technique to determine the reaction of the show action equipment 18 based on the data indicative of the special effect 17. For example, the control system 29 may use a machine learning technique that is trained with training data that includes data indicative of the special effect 17 and the various types of reactions available to the reactive show action equipment system 10. The control system 29 may filter certain inputs (e.g., duplicated sensor data) to increase processing efficiency, and/or the control system 29 may periodically delete inputs (e.g., sensor data) to prevent a database from being full. It should be understood that the control system 29 may also use a combination of lookup tables and machine learning techniques to determine the reaction of the reactive show action equipment system 10 based on the data indicative of the special effect 17.

In one embodiment, several special effects 17 may occur in a sequence, as informed by the effect sensor 39 and the sensor 38. For example, if the special effect 17 is a flame effect, the effect sensor 39 may detect the flame effect and the show action processor 45 may determine that the reaction for the show action equipment 18 is to extinguish the flame effect. The show action processor 45 may then instruct a subset of the plurality of actuators 15 in the show action equipment 18 to accomplish that movement. The sensor 38 may detect the movement associated with extinguishing the flame effect, which may then trigger the control system 29 to instruct the special effects system 11 to stop generating the flame effect by closing the active fluid communication with tank 22 associated with the flame effect and instruct the tank 24 to be in active fluid communication with the effect emitter 12 to generate a fog/smoke effect. When the special effects system 11 generates the fog/smoke effect, the effect sensor 39 may detect the fog/smoke and the control system 29 may determine that the reaction for the show action equipment 18 is to remove the fog/smoke. The removal of the fog/smoke may be detected by the sensor 38. The detection by the sensor 38 may trigger the automation controller 28 of the special effects system 11 to instruct stopping of generating the fog/smoke effect by closing the fluid communication with tank 24 associated with the fog/smoke effect and instruct opening of the fluid communication with tank 26 to generate a fluid spray effect. When the special effects system 11 generates the fluid spray effect, the effect sensor 39 may detect the fluid spray effect and trigger the show action processor 45 to instruct a subset of the plurality of actuators 15 in the show action equipment 18 to make the show action equipment 18 remove the fluid spray or fluid that has been sprayed. Because the special effects 17 and reactions are informed by the effect sensor 39 and the sensor 38, the sequences of special effects 17 and reactions need not be pre-programmed but instead can happen in automatically in reaction to inputs to the effect sensor 39 and the sensor 38. This allows for a multitude of potential combinations and sequences of special effects 17 and reactions, which may include other examples of other special effects 17 (e.g., foam, bubbles, confetti, and the like) occurring in a different sequence.

It should be understood that while the illustrated embodiment includes the sensor 38 and the effect sensor 39, these may be the same sensor 38 or may be different sensors 38.

The show action processor 45 and the processor 30 of the automation controller 28 may include one or more processing devices, and the memory 32 and memory 48 may include one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media. By way of example, such machine-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures, and which can be accessed by the processor 30 or by other processor-based devices. As explained above, the show action processor 45 and the processor 30 of the automation controller 28 may be the same processor 30.

In some embodiments, the show action equipment 18 and/or the control system 29 may form a communication connection with the sensor 38 and/or the effect sensor 39 using a wireless communications system 76, for example, wireless communication paths via infra-red (IR) wireless communication, radio frequency transmission, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ultra-wideband (UWB), etc. That is, the sensor 38 and/or the effect sensor 39 may include devices that enable the communication between the show action equipment 18 and the sensor 38 and/or the effect sensor 39. For example, the sensor 38 and/or the effect sensor 39 may include communication circuitry such as a transmitter and/or a receiver. The communication connection may include wireless communication protocols, for example UWB, IR, or radio frequency transmission, that enable communication between electronic devices over a distance, such as between 4 meters (m) and 20 m. In addition, in some embodiments, the communication connection may be formed using a wired communications system, such as using fiber optic cables, Ethernet cables, telephone network cables, coaxial cables, twisted pair cables, or waveguide cables.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are each a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the reactive show action equipment system 10 where the effect sensor 39 detects a volume and direction of the special effect 17 that includes a fluid spray effect and provides data indicative of the special effect 17 to the control system 29. The control system 29 may then provide instructions to the effect emitter 12 to alter the special effects system 11 by adjusting the at least direction, volume, or other aspects of the next special effect 17 generated by the special effects system 11.

In FIG. 2, in response to input received from the sensor 38, the special effects system 11 produces the special effect 17 that includes a fluid spray effect that has a specific volume and direction and splashes the guest 16 in a ride vehicle 50 at time 1. After the fluid spray effect is generated by the special effects system 11, the effect sensor 39 detects data indicative of the special effect 17, for example the direction of the fluid spray effect and the distance the fluid spray effect travels. The direction of the fluid spray effect and distance the fluid spray effect travels may each vary depending on environmental factors such as wind, precipitation, humidity, barometric pressure, and the like. After the effect sensor 39 detects the direction and distance of the fluid spray effect, the effect sensor 39 may provide output to the control system 29, which may then alter the special effects system 11, for example by instructing the effect emitter 12 to spray in a different direction, or by instructing the pressure regulator 31 (e.g., pump, compressor, fan, blower, or retractable bladder) in the special effects system 11 to apply more pressure to result in a subsequent fluid spray effect landing in a different location.

As shown in FIG. 3, at time 2, which is a period after time 1, the special effects system 11 is altered by adjusting the effect emitter 12 or other part of the special effects system 11 (e.g., pressure regulator 31) so that a subsequent fluid spray effect does not hit the guest 16 sitting in the same position as the guest 16 but instead hits a guest 21 sitting in another position in the ride vehicle 50. In this way, the sequence and impacts of the special effects 17 are not predictable to other guests 16. In addition to adjusting the direction of the special effect 17, the automation controller 28 may alter the special effects system 11 by instructing the effect source 20 to change the volume of the subsequent special effect 17 or may otherwise alter aspects of subsequent special effects 17 generated by the special effects system 11.

The reaction for the reactive show action equipment system 10 may thus be at least a movement of the show action equipment 18, an audio effect, a lighting effect, or an alteration in the special effects system 11 to adjust at least the direction, volume, or other aspects of the subsequent special effect 17 generated by the special effects system 11. The reaction for the reactive show action equipment system 10 may be a combination of one or more of these reactions.

One or more components of the special effects system 11 may be onboard the show action equipment 18 such that the onboard components are physically coupled to the show action equipment 18. For example, the effect emitter 12, the effect source 20 including the tanks 22, 24, and 26, and the automation controller 28 may be physically coupled to the show action equipment 18 such that when the show action equipment 18 moves (e.g., changes location or orientation), the onboard components of the special effects system 11 likewise adjust (e.g., change location or orientation). In another embodiment, portions of the communication system 37 may also be onboard the show action equipment 18, although it should be understood that this embodiment does not contemplate the entire communication system 37, including the Internet, being onboard the show action equipment 18. In another embodiment, only the effect emitter 12 may be onboard the show action equipment 18. In another embodiment, the effect emitter 12 and the effect source 20 including the tanks 22, 24, and 26 are onboard the show action equipment 18, but the automation controller 28 and the communication system 37 are offboard (i.e., not physically attached to) the show action equipment 18. In another embodiment, the sensor 38 and/or the effect sensor 39 may be onboard the show action equipment 18. Having portions of the special effects system 11 onboard the show action equipment 18 enhances an illusion related to the special effect 17 coming from the show action equipment (e.g., animated figure) 18. Additionally, and alternatively, one or more components of the special effects system 11 may be offboard (i.e., not attached to) the show action equipment 18. In these embodiments, the one or more components of the special effects system 11 that are offboard the show action equipment 18 may also travel with the show action equipment 18, or may be offboard the show action equipment 18 and be at least position independent or orientation independent of the show action equipment, meaning the position or orientation of the one or more components of the special effects system