US-12616906-B2 - Amusement game equipment

US12616906B2US 12616906 B2US12616906 B2US 12616906B2US-12616906-B2

Abstract

Amusement game equipment supports a ride section on which a user rides by an air spring section, measures a height of a reference plane of the ride section with a sensor, and controls air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section according to game progress by a control section. The control section performs a calibration process for determining an ascent limit of the ride section based on a measured value by the sensor so as to set an ascent and descent control range excluding a predetermined margin from the ascent limit, and a target height setting process for setting a target height of the ride section within the ascent and descent control range according to the game progress, and controls the air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section to achieve the target height.

Inventors

Yasuji Fukutomi
Masahide Uchida
Takafumi Shirai
Hiroki Nakamura

Assignees

BANDAI NAMCO EXPERIENCE INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240312
Priority Date: 20230421

Claims (10)

1 . Amusement game equipment comprising: a ride section on which a user rides; an air spring section configured to support the ride section; an air supply/discharge adjustment section configured to perform air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section according to a given control signal; a sensor configured to measure a height of a reference plane of the ride section; and a control section configured to generate the control signal according to game progress to control the air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section, wherein the control section performs a calibration process for controlling the air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section to determine an ascent limit of the ride section based on a measured value by the sensor so as to set an ascent and descent control range excluding a predetermined margin from the ascent limit, performs a target height setting process for setting a target height of the ride section within the ascent and descent control range according to the game progress, and generates the control signal for controlling the air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section to achieve the target height.
2 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 1 , wherein the control section determines a descent limit of the ride section based on the measured value by the sensor, and sets a position higher than the descent limit by a predetermined margin as a lower limit of the ascent and descent control range in the calibration process, and generates the control signal such that a current height based on the measured value by the sensor does not fall below the lower limit of the ascent and descent control range.
3 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 2 , wherein the air spring section includes a plurality of air springs that support different positions of the ride section, wherein the air supply/discharge adjustment section individually performs the air supply and discharge for each of the plurality of air springs, wherein the sensor measures, for each of the plurality of air springs, the height of the reference plane of the ride section supported by each of the plurality of air springs, wherein the target height setting process includes setting a target tilt direction and a target tilt angle of the ride section generated by a difference in the heights supported by the plurality of air springs according to the game progress, and wherein the control section selects both at least one air spring to supply air and at least one air spring to discharge air based on the measured value of each of the plurality of air springs measured by the sensor, the target tilt direction, and the target tilt angle, and generates the control signals to perform the air supply and discharge in parallel.
4 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 1 , wherein the control section generates the control signal to gradually reduce an air supply/discharge amount into/from the air spring section as a current height based on the measured value by the sensor approaches the target height.
5 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 4 , wherein the control section selects an applied control pattern according to the game progress from a plurality of control patterns having different paces of the air supply/discharge amount, and generates the control signal based on the applied control pattern.
6 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 5 , wherein at least one reference height with respect to a lapse time is set to each of the plurality of control patterns, and wherein the control section generates the control signal such that the current height based on the measured value by the sensor follows the applied control pattern.
7 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 4 , wherein the control section selects an applied control pattern from a plurality of control patterns having different paces of the air supply/discharge amount based on a difference between the current height based on the measured value by the sensor and the target height, and generates the control signal based on the applied control pattern.
8 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 7 further comprising an operation section operated by the user during gameplay, wherein the control section generates the control signal to variably control the air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section based on operation of the operation section.
9 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 1 , wherein the air spring section includes a plurality of air springs that support different positions of the ride section, wherein the air supply/discharge adjustment section individually performs the air supply and discharge for each of the plurality of air springs, wherein the sensor measures, for each of the plurality of air springs, the height of the reference plane of the ride section supported by each of the plurality of air springs, wherein the target height setting process includes setting a target tilt direction and a target tilt angle of the ride section generated by a difference in the heights supported by the plurality of air springs according to the game progress, and wherein the control section selects both at least one air spring to supply air and at least one air spring to discharge air based on the measured value of each of the plurality of air springs measured by the sensor, the target tilt direction, and the target tilt angle, and generates the control signals to perform the air supply and discharge in parallel.
10 . The amusement game equipment as defined in claim 1 further comprising a regulation section configured to regulate a change of a position of the ride section in a height direction exceeding a predetermined limited height.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-070423 filed on Apr. 21, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As an example of popular arcade amusement game equipment, ride-type body experience amusement game equipment is known (e.g., see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-52835). In the ride-type body experience amusement game equipment, a ride section on which a user of a player rides tilts or vibrates according to game progress. The user feels movements or vibrations corresponding to events in a game while playing the game, so that the user can have a game experience much better than a game experience given by amusement game equipment that is not a body experience type and the ride section of which is fixed and does not move. An air spring used in the conventional ride-type body experience amusement game equipment is simply controlled such that air is supplied by fully opening a solenoid valve for air supply until the air spring reaches its maximum stroke when air is supplied to the air spring, and air is discharged by fully opening a solenoid valve for air discharge until the air spring reaches its minimum stroke when air is discharged. Since air is supplied or discharged by fully opening the valves according to the game progress, frequent control is performed to quickly repeating the maximum stroke and the minimum stroke alternately, which is severe usage of the air spring. This shortens a service life of the air spring, and thus improvement has been desired. In addition, it has been also desired that the air supply and discharge into/from the air spring are more delicately controlled according to the game progress to provide a new body experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of a configuration example of amusement game equipment. FIG. 2 is a perspective external view of a configuration example of a ride section. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air pressure adjustment section. FIG. 4 is a diagram and a graph illustrating basic movement control of the ride section. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration example of movement definition data. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a setting example of air supply/discharge. FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating control patterns of air supply/discharge control. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration example of control pattern definition data. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional sections implemented by a control section and an example of a program and data stored in a functional section. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration example of play data. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processes performed by the control section. FIG. 12 is a side view of a configuration of amusement game equipment according to a modification example. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating processes performed by the control section according to the modification example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. Further, when a first element is described as being “connected” or “coupled” to a second element, such description includes embodiments in which the first and second elements are directly connected or coupled to each other, and also includes embodiments in which the first and second elements are indirectly connected or coupled to each other with one or more other intervening elements in between. According to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided an amusement game equipment comprising: a ride section on which a user rides;an air spring section configured to support the ride section;an air supply/discharge adjustment section configured to perform air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section according to a given control signal;a sensor configured to measure a height of a reference plane of the ride section; anda control section configured to generate the control signal according to game progress to control the air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section, wherein the control section performs a calibration process for controlling the air supply and discharge into/from the air spring section to determine an ascent limit of the ride section based on a measured value by the sensor so as to set an ascent and descent control range excluding a predetermined margin from the asce