Systems and methods for adjusting a seat pan for a ride vehicle seat

1 . A ride vehicle system comprising:

a seat configured to support a passenger in a ride vehicle and comprising a seat pan, wherein the seat pan comprises:

a membrane defining an internal volume;

an active fluid disposed within the internal volume; and

a deformable support immersed in the active fluid; and

a field generator configured to generate an applied field in the active fluid to change a property of the active fluid, wherein the seat pan is configured to deform under a weight of the passenger to form a contour conformed to a shape of the passenger in an absence of the applied field.

2 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the contour comprises a pommel.

3 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the seat pan is configured to stiffen in response to exposure to the applied field.

4 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , comprising a control system configured to control the field generator to modulate the applied field to adjust a stiffness of the seat pan.

5 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , comprising a control system configured to control the field generator based on a ride status or a position of the ride vehicle.

6 . The ride vehicle system of claim 5 , wherein the control system comprises:

a seat controller configured to control the field generator; and

a base station controller configured to communicate at least the ride status of the ride vehicle, the position of the ride vehicle, or instructions to control the field generator to the seat controller.

7 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , comprising a control system configured to control the field generator based on acceleration data from an accelerometer on the ride vehicle.

8 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the active fluid comprises a magnetorheological (MR) fluid, the field generator comprises one or more electromagnets, and the field generator is configured to generate the applied field in the MR fluid by energizing the one or more electromagnets.

9 . A ride vehicle system, comprising:

a ride vehicle;

a seat comprising a seat pan configured to support a passenger within the ride vehicle, wherein the seat pan is configured to change plasticity based on a voltage applied to the seat pan, and the seat pan comprises a deformable support immersed in a fluid having a voltage-dependent plasticity; and

a control system configured to control the voltage applied to the seat pan.

10 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , comprising:

a sensor supported on the ride vehicle; and

a control system configured to:

receive signals from the sensor; and

control the field generator to generate the applied field in the active fluid to stiffen the seat pan in response to the signals indicating engagement of a restraint system of the ride vehicle.

11 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the deformable support comprises a pommel to provide the contour with a pommel feature.

12 . The ride vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the deformable support comprises a flexible polymer, an elastomer, a foam, a conformable metamaterial, a metal sponge, fibers, springs, or any combination thereof.

13 . The ride vehicle system of claim 9 , wherein the fluid comprises an electrorheological (ER) fluid or a magnetorheological (MR) fluid.

14 . The ride vehicle system of claim 13 , comprising an electric field generator or a magnetic field generator configured to generate an electric field or a magnetic field, respectively, based on the voltage applied to the seat pan.

15 . The ride vehicle system of claim 9 , wherein the seat pan is configured to transition between a soft state and a firm state based on the voltage applied to the seat pan.

16 . The ride vehicle system of claim 15 , wherein in the soft state, the seat pan is configured to flexibly conform into a molded contour around a shape of the passenger, and in the firm state, the seat pan is configured to stiffen while maintaining the molded contour.

17 . A ride vehicle system, comprising:

a field generator configured to generate an electric field or a magnetic field;

a seat configured to support a passenger in a ride vehicle, the seat comprising a seat pan configured to stiffen in response to exposure to the electric field or the magnetic field and soften in absence of the electric field or the magnetic field, wherein the seat pan comprises a deformable support immersed in a fluid with a viscosity that varies with an intensity of the electric field or the magnetic field; and

control circuitry configured to determine a ride status of the ride vehicle system and instruct the field generator to generate the electric field or the magnetic field based on the ride status of the ride vehicle system.

18 . The ride vehicle system of claim 17 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine a presence of the passenger in the seat and instruct the field generator to generate the electric field or the magnetic field based on the presence of the passenger.

19 . The ride vehicle system of claim 17 , wherein:

the seat pan is configured to transition between a soft state and a firm state based on the absence of or the exposure to the electric field or the magnetic field;

in the soft state, the seat pan is configured to flexibly conform into a molded contour around a shape of the passenger; and

in the firm state, the seat pan is configured to stiffen while maintaining the molded contour.

20 . The ride vehicle system of claim 19 , wherein the ride status is indicative of a position of the ride vehicle, a speed of the ride vehicle, or both.