Movable panel for amusement park attraction system

Abstract

A ride vehicle for an amusement park attraction system includes a plurality of walls cooperatively defining a volume configured to receive a guest into the ride vehicle and a panel assembly with a panel and a wall of the plurality of walls. The wall is configured to contain the panel in a first configuration of the panel assembly, and the panel is configured to move relative to the wall and be positioned out of, actuate out of, and/or extend out of the wall in a second configuration of the panel assembly.

1 . A ride vehicle for an amusement park attraction system, the ride vehicle comprising:
 a plurality of walls cooperatively defining a volume configured to receive a guest into the ride vehicle; and   a panel assembly comprising a panel and a wall of the plurality of walls, wherein the wall is configured to contain the panel in a first configuration of the panel assembly, and the panel is configured to move relative to the wall and actuate out of the wall in a second configuration of the panel assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The ride vehicle of  claim 1 , comprising one or more actuators and a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more actuators, wherein the controller is configured to instruct the one or more actuators to adjust the panel relative to the wall to transition the panel assembly between the first configuration and the second configuration. 
     
     
         3 . The ride vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to instruct the one or more actuators to rotate the panel about a pivot to move the panel relative to the wall. 
     
     
         4 . The ride vehicle of  claim 2 , comprising a linkage coupled to the one or more actuators and to the panel, and wherein the one or more actuators are configured to actuate the linkage to move the panel relative to the wall. 
     
     
         5 . The ride vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more actuators are disposed external to the wall. 
     
     
         6 . The ride vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the panel comprises a first panel and the wall comprises a first wall, the panel assembly comprises a second panel and a second wall of the plurality of walls, the second wall is configured to contain the second panel in the first configuration of the panel assembly, the second panel is configured to actuate out of the second wall in the second configuration of the panel assembly. 
     
     
         7 . The ride vehicle of  claim 1 , comprising a guide, wherein the panel is coupled to the guide and is configured to move along the guide to actuate out of the wall in the second configuration of the panel assembly. 
     
     
         8 . A panel assembly for an amusement park attraction system, the panel assembly comprising:
 an enclosure;   a support member positioned at least partially within the enclosure;   a panel coupled to the support member; and   one or more actuators positioned within the enclosure, wherein the one or more actuators are configured to move the support member relative to the enclosure, thereby moving the panel relative to the enclosure to actuate the panel out of the enclosure.   
     
     
         9 . The panel assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the enclosure comprises a base, and one or more actuators are configured to move the support member away from the base to actuate the panel out of the enclosure. 
     
     
         10 . The panel assembly of  claim 9 , comprising a first coupler coupled to the base and comprising a plate coupled to the support member, wherein the plate is configured to engage with the first coupler. 
     
     
         11 . The panel assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the plate is configured to engage with the first coupler in a first configuration of the panel assembly, the enclosure comprises a cover and a second coupler, the one or more actuators are configured to move the support member and the panel away from the base to transition the panel assembly from the first configuration to a second configuration, and the plate is configured to engage with the second coupler in the second configuration of the panel assembly. 
     
     
         12 . The panel assembly of  claim 9 , comprising a biasing member coupled to the base. 
     
     
         13 . The panel assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more actuators are configured to actuate the support member at least partially out of the enclosure to actuate the panel out of the enclosure. 
     
     
         14 . A panel assembly for an amusement park attraction system, the panel assembly comprising:
 an enclosure defining a space, wherein the enclosure comprises a cover configured to extend over the space, and the enclosure comprises a base;   a panel configured to be positioned in the space defined by the enclosure;   one or more actuators configured to drive movement of the panel relative to the enclosure; and   a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more actuators, wherein the controller is configured to:
 instruct the one or more actuators to drive movement of the panel toward the base of the enclosure to transition the panel assembly to a first configuration; and 
 instruct the one or more actuators to drive movement of the panel away from the base of the enclosure to transition the panel assembly to a second configuration. 
   
     
     
         15 . The panel assembly of  claim 14 , comprising a plate, wherein the panel is coupled to a plate, the one or more actuators are configured to drive a movement of the plate relative to the enclosure to drive the movement of the panel relative to the enclosure. 
     
     
         16 . The panel assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to instruct the one or more actuators to drive the movement of the plate toward the one or more actuators to drive the movement of the panel away from the base. 
     
     
         17 . The panel assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the enclosure comprises a wall defining the space, the cover is coupled to the wall, the cover is configured to move relative to the wall to expose the space, and the controller is configured to instruct the one or more actuators to drive the movement of the panel away from the base and out of the enclosure via the space exposed by the cover to transition the panel assembly to the second configuration. 
     
     
         18 . The panel assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the cover is configured to rotate relative to the wall about a hinge or to translate along the wall to expose the space. 
     
     
         19 . The panel assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the panel comprises a frame, and the frame is configured to engage with the cover in the first configuration of the panel assembly. 
     
     
         20 . The panel assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to instruct the one or more actuators to rotate the panel relative to the enclosure to transition the panel assembly between the first configuration and the second configuration.