System and method of providing passenger ingress and egress in an amusement ride having pivotable bridges

摘要

A method and system is provided for moving passengers in and out of an amusement ride of the type having a passenger cabin capable of movement in multiple degrees of freedom within an enclosure. The cabin includes ingress doors on one side of the cabin and egress doors on the other side to admit and discharge passengers from seats within the cabin. Another set of ingress and egress doors are provided on opposite sides of the enclosure in respective alignment with the ingress and egress doors of the cabin when the cabin is at rest in a loading position. A plurality of ingress and egress platforms, located outside the operating envelope of the cabin when the cabin is in motion, are adapted to be moved to a deployed position when the cabin is in the loading position to connect the ingress and egress doors of the enclosure with the ingress and egress doors of the cabin. In this way, movement of passengers in and out of the cabin, which is spaced from the enclosure, is provided in a rapid and orderly fashion. Control means in the form of a computer also are included for controlling and coordinating the various movements of the doors, platforms and cabin. Restraints in the passenger seats also can be controlled by the computer so that the amusement ride cannot begin until the restraints in each occupied seat are fastened.