U.S. patent application number 16/403346 was filed with the patent office on 2019-11-07 for motion simulating device.
The applicant listed for this patent is BROGENT TECHNOLOGIES INC.. Invention is credited to Ke-Cheng CHIEN, Wei-Ching TANG.
Application Number | 20190336871 16/403346 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66379832 |
Filed Date | 2019-11-07 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190336871 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TANG; Wei-Ching ; et
al. |
November 7, 2019 |
MOTION SIMULATING DEVICE
Abstract
A motion simulating device includes a positioning unit, at least
one carrier unit adapted for carrying at least one user, at least
one motion mechanism, and a display unit for displaying image
information for viewing by the at least one user. The at least one
motion mechanism includes a motion arm, a first driver, and a
second driver. The motion arm has a first end portion connected to
the positioning unit and pivotable relative to the positioning unit
about a first axis, and a second end portion opposite to the first
end portion. The at least one carrier unit is connected to the
second end portion of the motion arm and pivotable relative to the
motion arm about a second axis.
Inventors: |
TANG; Wei-Ching; (Kaohsiung,
TW) ; CHIEN; Ke-Cheng; (Kaohsiung, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BROGENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. |
KAOHSIUNG |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
66379832 |
Appl. No.: |
16/403346 |
Filed: |
May 3, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63G 31/00 20130101;
A63G 31/16 20130101; A63G 31/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63G 31/16 20060101
A63G031/16; A63G 31/02 20060101 A63G031/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 4, 2018 |
TW |
107115177 |
Claims
1. A motion simulating device comprising: a positioning unit; at
least one carrier unit connected to said positioning unit and
adapted for carrying at least one user; at least one motion
mechanism including a motion arm that has a first end portion
connected to said positioning unit and pivotable relative to said
positioning unit about a first axis, and a second end portion
opposite to said first end portion, said at least one carrier unit
being connected to said second end portion of said motion arm and
being pivotable relative to said motion arm about a second axis, a
first driver that is disposed for driving the pivot action of said
motion arm about the first axis relative to said positioning unit,
and a second driver that is disposed for driving the pivot action
of said at least one carrier unit about the second axis relative to
said motion arm; and a display unit for displaying image
information for viewing by the at least one user.
2. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
at least one carrier unit includes a load platform connected to
said second end portion of said motion arm of said at least one
motion mechanism, and a plurality of seat bodies connected to said
load platform and adapted to be seated on by a plurality of the
users.
3. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said
at least one carrier unit further includes a linkage member
interconnecting said seat bodies, and a third driver operable to
move said linkage member back and forth such that said seat bodies
tilt to the left and right thereof and relative to said load
platform.
4. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each
of said seat bodies is pivotable about a third axis which extends
in a front-rear direction of said seat bodies and which is
substantially perpendicular to the first and second axes.
5. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said
at least one motion mechanism further includes a support arm having
two end portions that are respectively and pivotally connected to
said positioning unit and said at least one carrier unit, said
support arm and said motion arm being respectively and pivotally
connected to opposite left and right sides of said at least one
carrier unit.
6. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
at least one carrier unit includes a load platform connected to
said second end portion of said motion arm of said at least one
motion mechanism, and a seat body connected to said load platform
and adapted to be seated on by the at least one user.
7. The motion simulation device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said
at least one carrier unit further includes a linkage member
connected to said seat body, and a third driver operable to move
said linkage member back and forth such that said seat body tilts
to the left and right thereof and relative to said load
platform.
8. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said
seat body is pivotable about a third axis which extends in a
front-rear direction of said seat body and which is substantially
perpendicular to the first and second axis.
9. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said
at least one motion mechanism further includes a support arm having
two end portions that are respectively and pivotally connected to
said positioning unit and said at least one carrier unit, said
support arm and said motion arm being respectively and pivotally
connected to opposite left and right sides of said at least one
carrier unit.
10. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
said positioning unit includes at least one movable vehicle mounted
to said motion arm of said at least one motion mechanism for moving
said at least one motion mechanism between different locations.
11. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
said display unit includes at least one head-mounted display
adapted to be worn by the at least one user.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority of Taiwanese Invention
Patent Application No. 107115177, filed on May 4, 2018.
FIELD
[0002] The disclosure relates to a motion simulating device, more
particularly to a motion simulating device with simplified motion
mechanism.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional motion simulating
device 1 may be used in amusement rides. The conventional motion
simulating device 1 includes a loading platform 11, a plurality of
motion mechanisms 12 disposed on said loading platform 11 (only one
shown in FIG. 1), a plurality of seats 13 respectively disposed on
said motion mechanisms 12, and a display 14 disposed in front of
said seats 13. Each of the motion mechanisms 12 include a plurality
of linear actuators 121 to drive the respective seat 12 to sway,
surge, heave, pitch, yaw and roll. The conventional motion
simulating device 1 plays video through the display 14, and
cooperates the movement of the seats 13 driven by the motion
mechanisms 12 with the video to provide an immersive simulation
experience.
[0004] Even though the motion mechanisms 12 can drive the seats 13
to perform multi-axial movement with high degrees of freedom, the
linear actuators 121 are unable to perform larger range motions.
Moreover, the structure and control of the motion mechanisms 12 are
complicated, which increase the costs of manufacture and
maintenance.
SUMMARY
[0005] Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a
motion simulating device that can alleviate at least one of the
drawbacks of the prior art.
[0006] According to the disclosure, a motion simulating device
includes a positioning unit, at least one carrier unit connected to
the positioning unit and adapted for carrying at least one user, at
least one motion mechanism, and a display unit for displaying image
information for viewing by the at least one user.
[0007] The at least one motion mechanism includes a motion arm, a
first driver, and a second driver.
[0008] The motion arm has a first end portion connected to the
positioning unit and pivotable relative to the positioning unit
about a first axis, and a second end portion opposite to the first
end portion. The at least one carrier unit is connected to the
second end portion of the motion arm and is pivotable relative to
the motion arm about a second axis.
[0009] The first driver is disposed for driving the pivot action of
the motion arm about the first axis relative to the positioning
unit.
[0010] The second driver is disposed for driving the pivot action
of the at least one carrier unit about the second axis relative to
the motion arm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become
apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment
with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a conventional motion
simulating device;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top schematic view of the
conventional motion simulating device;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of a motion
simulating device according to the disclosure, where a side wall
and a plurality of support arms are not shown;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a side view of a motion mechanism and a carrier
unit of the embodiment, where the support arm of the motion
mechanism is not shown;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front schematic view, illustrating
the carrier unit of the embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a side view, illustrating a variation of the
motion mechanism and the carrier unit of the embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a side view, illustrating another variation of the
embodiment including at least one head mounted display;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a fragmentary front view of another variation of
the embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a fragmentary front view of another variation of
the embodiment;
[0021] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of another variation of the
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, an embodiment of a motion
simulating device according to the disclosure includes a
positioning unit 2, at least one motion mechanism 3, at least one
carrier unit 32 that is connected to the positioning unit 2 and
that is adapted for carrying at least one user 5, and a display
unit 4 for displaying image information to be viewed by the at
least one user 5. In this embodiment, the motion simulating device
includes a plurality of the motion mechanisms 3, and a plurality of
the carrier units 32 connected respectively to the motion
mechanisms 3 and adapted for carrying a plurality of the users 5.
Since the structures of the motion mechanisms 3 are identical, and
since the structures of the carrier units 32 are identical, only
one motion mechanism 3 and one carrier unit 32 will be described
hereinafter for the sake of brevity.
[0023] The positioning unit 2 may be a wall or a frame for the
motion mechanism 3 to be pivotally connected to, and may be adapted
depending on practical requirements relating to the location and
use of the device. In this embodiment, the positioning unit 2
includes two parallel and spaced apart walls 20 (only one shown in
FIG. 3).
[0024] The motion mechanism 3 includes a motion arm 31, a support
arm 33, a first driver 34 and a second driver 35.
[0025] The motion arm 31 has a first end portion 311 connected to
one of the walls 20 of the positioning unit 2 and pivotable
relative to the positioning unit 2 about a first axis 310, and a
second end portion 313 opposite to the first end portion 311. The
carrier unit 32 is connected to the second end portion 313 of the
motion arm 31 and is pivotable relative to the motion arm 31 about
a second axis 312. In this embodiment, the first and second axes
310, 312 are parallel to each other and extend along a left-right
direction of the users 5. The first driver 34 is disposed for
driving the pivot action of the motion arm 31 about the first axis
310 relative to the positioning unit 2. The second driver 35 is
disposed for driving the pivot action of the carrier unit 32 about
the second axis relative to the motion arm 31. The support arm 33
has two end portions that are respectively and pivotally connected
to the other one of the walls 20 of the positioning unit 2 and the
carrier unit 32.
[0026] The carrier unit 32 includes a load platform 321 connected
to the second end portion 313 of the motion arm 31 of the motion
mechanism 3, at least one seat body 322 connected to the load
platform 321, a linkage member 323, and a third driver 324. In this
embodiment, the carrier unit 32 includes a plurality of the seat
bodies 322 connected to the load platform 321 and adapted to be
seated on by a plurality of the users 5, the linkage member 323
interconnects the seat bodies 322, and the third driver 324 is
operable to move the linkage member 323 back and forth such that
the seat bodies 322 tilts to the left and right thereof and
relative to the load platform 321. Each of the seat bodies 322 is
pivotable about an axis which extends in a front-rear direction of
the seat bodies 322 and which is substantially perpendicular to the
first and second axes 310, 312. In variations of the embodiment
(see FIGS. 8 and 9), the carrier unit 32 may include only one seat
body 322 connected to the load platform 321 and adapted to be
seated on by one user 5, the linkage member 323 is connected to the
seat body 322.
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the support
arm 33 and the motion arm 31 are respectively and pivotally
connected to opposite left and right sides of the carrier unit 32.
Specifically, the support arm 33 and the motion arm 31 are
connected to an upright portion 326 of the load platform 321. In an
variation of the embodiment (see FIG. 6), the support arm 33 and
the motion arm 31 may be instead connected to a junction between
the load platform 321 and the outermost seat bodies 322, and the
load platform 321 may include a front support stand 327 for the
users 5 to grab or lean against. In this embodiment, the seat
bodies 322 are for the users 5 to be seated thereon, but in other
embodiments may allow the users 5 to stand thereon. Referring to
FIG. 8, in the variation of the embodiment where the carrier unit
32 includes only one seat body 322 pivotally mounted to the load
platform 321, the motion and support arms 31, 33 may be
respectively connected to left and right sides of the load platform
321, or alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the support arm 33 may
be omitted and the motion arm 31 may be connected to a center of
the load platform 321, with the walls 20 being replaced by a stand
21 for the motion arm 31 to be pivotally connected to.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the display unit 4
is a large monitor disposed in front of said seat bodies 322. In a
variation of the embodiment, the display unit 4 may be a
spherically curved display that encompasses the field of view of
the user 5 to provide a more immersive motion simulating
experience. The user 5 may be at the center of the sphere and be
substantially equidistant from all points on the screen. Referring
to FIG. 7, in another variation of this embodiment, the display
unit 4 includes at least one head-mounted display 41 adapted to be
worn by the at least one user 5. Usage of the head-mounted display
41 in variations of the embodiment where the carrier unit 2
includes only one seat body 322 allows the motion simulating device
to be compact and suitable for single-person use.
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the embodiment is operated
as follows. First, the users 5 board the carrier unit 32 from a
waiting area 6. After safety devices are used to secure the users 5
to the seat bodies 322, the display unit 4 starts to display image
information and the motion mechanism 3 moves the carrier unit 32
corresponding to said image information. The first driver 34 drives
the motion arm 31 to rotate about the first axis 310 relative to
the positioning unit 2, and the second driver 35 drives the carrier
unit 32 to rotate about the second axis 312 relative to the motion
arm 31, thereby allowing the users 5 to heave and pitch. The third
driver 324 drives each of the seat bodies 322 to rotate about the
respective axis relative to the load platform 321, thereby allowing
the users 5 to roll. In combination, the motion mechanism 3 and the
carrier unit 32 allow the users 5 to experience heave, pitch and
roll, simulating motion corresponding to the image information
displayed by the display unit 4. In this embodiment, the first and
second drivers 34, 35 are motor and transmission mechanisms whose
structures are simpler than actuators used in the conventional
motion simulating device, which lowers costs, and provide larger
heaving and pitching effects.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 10, in another variation of this
embodiment, the positioning unit 2 includes at least one movable
vehicle 22 mounted to the motion arm 31 for moving the motion
mechanism 3 between different locations. For example, the movable
vehicle 22 may move the motion mechanism 3 between a boarding
position and an experience position. At the boarding position, the
carrier unit 32 is adjacent to the waiting area 6 and the users 5
may board the carrier unit 32 from the waiting area 6. At the
experience position, the motion mechanism 3 may operate as
described above. This separates a boarding area and an experience
area to ensure that enough space is available for larger range
motions of the motion mechanism 3. In other embodiments, the
movable vehicle 22 may further move the carrier unit 32 to a
plurality of the experience positions. For example, for a dinosaur
themed motion simulator, the movable vehicle 22 may move the users
5 to a Triassic region, a Jurassic region, a Cretaceous region,
etc.
[0031] In sum, the motion mechanism 3 of the disclosure uses the
first and second drivers 34, 35 to respectively drive the motion
arm 31 and the carrier unit 32 to a large range of circular motion
with a simplified structure that reduces cost.
[0032] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation,
numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a
thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent,
however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other
embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific
details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout
this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," an
embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth
means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may
be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further
appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes
grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description
thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding
in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or
more features or specific details from one embodiment may be
practiced together with one or more features or specific details
from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the
disclosure.
[0033] While the disclosure has been described in connection with
what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that
this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is
intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit
and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all
such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *