Enhanced motion vehicle - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

EMV

Disney filed for patent on the Enhanced Motion Vehicle ride system on November 16, 1995.
This ride system was developed for the Indiana Jones Adventure

Indiana Jones Adventure

Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye is a dark ride motion simulator attraction based on the Indiana Jones films. Guests accompany intrepid archeologist Dr. Indiana Jones on a quest for the Jewel of Power through a dangerous lost temple, then board military troop transport vehicles...

. Four such systems were built (in chronological order):

Development prototype/test track, built inside a Burbank warehouse, near Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering is the design and development arm of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation and construction of Disney theme parks worldwide...

(now dismantled).
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
Indiana Jones Adventure
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye is a dark ride motion simulator attraction based on the Indiana Jones films. Guests accompany intrepid archeologist Dr. Indiana Jones on a quest for the Jewel of Power through a dangerous lost temple, then board military troop transport vehicles...

at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
DINOSAUR
DINOSAUR
DINOSAUR is a dark ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida....

, a bolt-for-bolt identical ride system which opened as CTX: Countdown to Extinction, located at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom is an animal theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than . It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely...

in Orlando, Florida.
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull at Tokyo DisneySea.

The Enhanced Motion Vehicles (EMV) are intended to appear as a battered military troop transport or "Time Rover". EMVs are driven less than 14 miles per hour (6.3 m/s) by air filled tractor trailer tires atop the surface of a slotted roadbed. Beneath the slot, a tubular guiderail guides the front wheelset and is responsible for supplying power to the vehicle, which is 480 volts in three phase, with a capacity of 200 Amps. The power is divided among the communications, control, safety, audio systems and the two motion systems - propulsion and hydraulics. Each transport can accommodate twelve guests with three rows of seats, four across, with the front left seat behind non-operational steering wheel

Steering wheel

A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....

. In addition to the three bus bars for power, there are three additional bus bars, one for a "GO" signal, one for a "NOGO" signal, and one for ground.

Each EMV is a motion simulator

Motion simulator

A motion simulator or motion platform is a mechanism that encapsulates occupants and creates the effect/feelings of being in a moving vehicle...

, or technically a 'full-motion chassis

Chassis

A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...

' because it is not under the control of the occupants, and it travels through a show building instead of enclosing occupants in a moving theater room, as in the case of Star Tours

Star Tours

Star Tours is a motion simulator attraction currently operating at Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris. The ride is based on the successful Star Wars film series created by George Lucas, making it the first Disney attraction based on a non-Disney produced film.The first...

. The EMV motion base is attached by three hydraulic actuators to the frame of the chassis carrying the bulk of unsprung weight, allowing the low-mass body shell to articulate independently and rapidly with micrometer precision by incorporating a position feedback system. Three actuators are used on the chassis motion platform to position the motion base in six degrees of freedom: three thrust planes (x, y & z) with two rotational axes (pitch and roll). A guest's physically intense experience is programmed to achieve the illusion of greater speed and catastrophic mechanical failure using the enhanced-motion vehicle's ability to add several feet of lift then rapidly descend, shudder and tremble, and intensify cornering with counter-bank and twist.

A variance on the Japanese version replaces the three hydraulic rams with linear-inductive actuators. The 35 gallons of hydraulic fluid used on the Disneyland version takes one hour to clean off the track when a hose splits. Because of Japan's environmental codes regarding oil spills, the Japanese design team elected to substitute electromagnetic actuators on the ride vehicle.

Communications

Each car must know where it is in relationship with other cars; it does this by transmitting its position to the control tower and receiving the positions of other cars over a spread spectrum radio to avoid the noise of power pickup wipers arcing along the buss bar. The vehicle also responds to programming selections indicated by a section of track and reports which subprogram it is currently running.

Control

Feedback provides the position in space the car body occupies and what amount of actuator change needs to be applied to reach the next position and at what rate. Control also triggers various audio, receives location information from communications and adjusts power with Silicone Control Relays and Silicone Control Rectifiers to operate motors and switches, the most important switch being "STOP".

Safety

STOP is the most important element of the safety system. There are more ways to stop than to go. Ways to stop are parallel. Ways to go are sequential. The hard reset is the most basic stop; it involves cycling the power off, then on. There are large red mushroom buttons at each loading station and in the tower within easy reach of each operator that will halt all motion. Block violations are among several internal automatic stop responses, where two cars are within the same section of track. A seatbelt could come free triggering a stop, or an obstacle sensed on the track such as a purse. Mushroom buttons were fitted to each rear bumper after continued operation. Other logistical controls will also halt motion, such as switching a vehicle in or out of the track loop. In order to go, "lockout keys" must all be in place, indicating that no personnel occupy the track. Operation personnel must check that each safety belt is secure two ways - positive action visual inspection, where the rider pulls at a yellow loop attached to the buckle end, and an automatic LED panel on each side of the vehicle which lights up a grid point when a buckle is locked. Only then are operators allowed to press two green launch buttons simultaneously that are located deep within protective sleeves. A second station verifies the seatbelt and loose object inspection also must simultaneously press two protected green launch buttons, and must agree with the tower launch press.

Audio systems

Sections of track trigger various audio sequences stored onboard 16-gig EEPROM

EEPROM

EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory and is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data that must be saved when power is removed, e.g., calibration...

storage, which also stores motion sequence programming.

Propulsion

Propulsion is generated through the hydraulic system. Refer to the hydraulic system overview below.

Hydraulics

Every vehicle is equipped with a complete hydraulic system to power it's various components. These components include three hydraulic actuators which are connected to the motion base (body) of the vehicle. Specifically, there are 2 actuators towards the front right and front left of the motion base, and 1 actuator in the rear-center of the motion base. These actuators can produce 2 individual degrees of motion; pitch and roll. Of course, a combination of these motions can be used.

Two other actuators are utilized to control the steering of the rear-left and rear-right wheels. The front wheels are steered mechanically through the front bogie, but an encoder is used on the front steering system to tell the ride control computer how much to turn the rear wheels to assist the overall steering of the vehicle. Simply put, the rear wheels change their positions based upon the input from the front wheels.

One last actuator is used for the rear bogie. This is known as the rear follower lockout actuator. This actuator can run in 2 modes; an extended mode and a retracted mode. Each mode allows the rear offset of the vehicle to be confined within a fixed distance of travel. In the retracted mode, the vehicle can make sharp turns, to the point of the rear wheels actually crossing the track slot (though this does not happen under normal operation). The extended mode does not allow such a large rear offset, and is thus used when the vehicle may have little clearance on the side. If the vehicle attempts to travel outside of the confined distances of travel, the vehicle will initiate an automatic power disconnect, haulting vehicle movement immediately.

Another component of the hydraulic system is the propulsion motor. The hydraulic propulsion motor is responsible for providing forward movement of the vehicles. The propulsion motor is of the axial piston pump type, and is capable of variable speed. In addition to providing forward power, it is also used as a main braking device for the vehicles. When traveling down a hill, the vehicles will drive the position of the swash plate within the propulsion motor to a negative angle, utilizing the propulsion motor as a pump. This allows the vehicle to convert it's kinetic energy into hydraulic pressure, which is stored in its high pressure accumulators. The majority of deceleration breaking within the attraction uses this method of slowing the vehicle down.

The hydraulic system also comprises a hydraulic pump, which is driven by a 50 horsepower, 480 volt, 3-phase electric motor. The electric motor is constantly running, and is cooled by a large fan. The pump, however, is only engaged when hydraulic pressure needs to be generated. For instance, when a vehicle is stopped and the motion base is not moving, the pump will only engage one or two time per minuted. However, when the vehicle is traveling through the attraction, the pump is engaged for the majority of the time.

Lastly, the hydraulic system uses a combination of 3 accumulators to store it's hydraulic pressure. Two of these accumulators are high pressure accumulators, which store hydraulic fluid at 3,000 PSI. The accumulators use an inert gas to provide the pressure necessary. The low pressure accumulator stores the fluid at a much lower pressure, typically around 100 PSI.

Other various components are utilized in the hydraulic system, such as anti-cavitation valves and filters. In additions, there is a large hydraulic tank to store addition hydraulic fluid.

Linear motors

Due to strict laws governing oil spills in Japan, EMVs in Japan use electric linear actuators, rather than hydraulic rams, to accomplish motion.

Similar ride systems

Three other similar EMV ride systems were also built for Disney theme park attractions.

Rocket Rods XPR
Rocket Rods
Rocket Rods was an attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.-The Ride:Opening on May 22, 1998 as part of the New Tomorrowland, this high-speed attraction ran on the former PeopleMover track...

, on the former PeopleMover
PeopleMover
The PeopleMover, sometimes referred to as the WEDWay PeopleMover, was a transport attraction that operated from July 2, 1967 to August 21, 1995 in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Guests boarded small trains that ran on elevated tracks for a "grand circle tour" above Tomorrowland...

track of Tomorrowland, Disneyland, Anaheim, California. (now dismantled)
GM Test Track
Test Track
Test Track is an attraction at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, sponsored by General Motors The ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Motors uses to evaluate its vehicles, culminating in a high-speed drive around the...

, in EPCOT, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.

Both introduced additional elements to the outdoor portion of the tubular guideway - exposure to weather.

Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey to the Center of the Earth (attraction)
Journey to the Center of the Earth is an attraction at Tokyo DisneySea, based on Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth.The attraction uses similar technology to Epcot's Test Track.-Story:...

at Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo DisneySea
is a 176-acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just outside Tokyo. It opened on September 4, 2001. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo DisneySea attracted an estimated 12 million visitors in...

.

The technical improvements and fewer degrees of freedom in these systems distinguish them from being in the same class of EMV.

EMV