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A magnetic pacer system and method for adjusting vehicle speed in an amusement park ride. The system includes a controller and memory that stores speed settings such as upper and lower speed limits for the vehicle in a specific portion of a ride. A magnetic thruster is positioned near the portion of

A magnetic pacer system and method for adjusting vehicle speed in an amusement park ride. The system includes a controller and memory that stores speed settings such as upper and lower speed limits for the vehicle in a specific portion of a ride. A magnetic thruster is positioned near the portion of the ride, and a signal or signals are sent from position sensors to the controller. The controller determines the actual velocity of the vehicle as it travels along a direction of travel and acts to compare the determined vehicle velocity with the stored and desired speed settings. The controller then determines a magnetic force to apply to the vehicle including selecting whether the force is along the direction of travel or opposite to provide acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. The magnetic thruster is selectively operated to generate a magnetic force to act on the vehicle.

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1. A method of pacing a vehicle in an amusement park ride, comprising: at a first location in the ride, releasing or launching the vehicle with energy to travel an entire length of a section of the ride;providing a controller with memory storing speed settings for the vehicle in a portion of the rid

1. A method of pacing a vehicle in an amusement park ride, comprising: at a first location in the ride, releasing or launching the vehicle with energy to travel an entire length of a section of the ride;providing a controller with memory storing speed settings for the vehicle in a portion of the ride;positioning a plurality of magnetic thrusters proximate to the portion of the ride at a second location spaced apart from the first location within the section of the ride, the magnetic thrusters including at least one position sensor communicatively linked to the controller;in response to a signal from the at least one position sensor after the releasing or launching, operating the controller to determine a velocity of the vehicle in the portion of the ride at more than one location along the portion of the ride;with the controller, comparing the determined velocity with the stored speed settings;determining a magnetic force to apply to the vehicle based on the comparing; andoperating the magnetic thrusters to generate the magnetic force that acts upon the vehicle to pace the vehicle by selectively operating individual ones of the plurality of magnetic thrusters over the portion of the ride,wherein after operating the magnetic thruster to generate the magnetic force the vehicle continues to coast in a direction of travel at a velocity greater than zero and within a velocity range defined by the stored speed settings,wherein the vehicle is coasting at an initial velocity upon entering the portion of the track in the direction of travel that is within the velocity range, andwherein the magnetic force is selected in the determining to retain the vehicle at a velocity within the velocity range along the portion of the ride. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the magnetic force comprises determining a direction of the magnetic force relative to a direction of travel of the vehicle, whereby the magnetic force is selected to be a decelerating force or an accelerating force. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein speed settings comprise an upper speed trigger and a lower speed trigger and wherein the determining of the magnetic force comprises applying the magnetic force as a decelerating force when the determined velocity is greater than about the upper speed trigger and as an accelerating force when the determined velocity is less than about the lower speed trigger. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a magnetic array and wherein the magnetic thruster comprises at least one linear synchronous motor (LSM) and the operating comprises powering and controlling the at least one LSM to apply the magnetic force to the magnetic array to accelerate or to decelerate the vehicle along a present direction of travel for the vehicle in the portion of the ride. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to a second signal from the at least one position sensor, operating of the controller to determine a second velocity of the vehicle in the portion of the ride, comparing the second determined velocity with the stored speed settings, determining a second magnetic force to apply to the vehicle based on the comparing of the second determined velocity, and operating of the magnetic thruster to generate a second magnetic force to act on the magnet array of the vehicle, wherein the second magnetic force differs in at least direction from the magnetic force. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the amusement park ride comprises a track upon which the vehicle travels and wherein the controlled portion of the ride comprises a curved or inclined section of the track. 7. A magnetic pacer assembly for pacing a vehicle that has an affixed magnet array and is traveling along a track or guideway, comprising: a magnetic propulsion device positioned proximate to the track selectively operable to generate a magnetic field that applies a decelerating force upon the magnet array of the vehicle and to generate a magnetic field that applies an accelerating force upon the magnet array of the vehicle; wherein the magnetic propulsion device is provided at a first location in the track for applying a launching force with energy to travel an entire length of a section of the track, and further includes a plurality of magnetic thrusters proximate to the track at a second location spaced apart from the first location within the section of the track; and wherein individual ones of the plurality of magnetic thrusters are operated over the portion of the track;a position sensor assembly; anda controller receiving position signals for the vehicle from the position sensor assembly, determining a velocity of the vehicle based on the position signals, and based on the determined velocity operating the magnetic propulsion device to generate the magnetic field corresponding to the decelerating force or to the accelerating force,wherein the position sensor assembly comprises a plurality of sensors positioned in a spaced apart manner along the length of the magnetic propulsion device and wherein the controller operates to receive the position signals as the vehicle travels along the length, to determine a velocity at more than one point along the length, and to operate the magnetic propulsion device more than once as the vehicle travels on the track proximate to the magnetic propulsion device to retain the vehicle at a velocity within the velocity range defined by the speed setting stored in a memory in the controller. 8. The assembly of claim 7, further comprising memory accessible by the controller that stores first and second velocity bounds defining a velocity range, wherein the controller operates the magnetic propulsion device to generate the magnetic field corresponding to the decelerating force when the determined velocity exceeds about the first velocity bound and operates the magnetic propulsion device to generate the magnetic field corresponding to the accelerating force when the determined velocity is less than about the second velocity bound. 9. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the operating of the magnetic propulsion device more than once comprises alternatively generating the magnetic fields associated with the decelerating and accelerating forces. 10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the magnetic propulsion device comprises a plurality of linear synchronous motors (LSMs) arranged end-to-end along the track and wherein each of the LSMs is independently and concurrently operable to generate one of the magnetic fields. 11. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the controller selects magnitudes for the magnetic fields and the operating of the magnetic propulsion device comprises generating the magnetic fields with the selected magnitudes. 12. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the controller selects durations for the magnetic fields and the operating of the magnetic propulsion device comprises generating the magnetic fields with the selected durations. 13. An amusement park ride with enhanced pacing, comprising: a plurality of vehicles for carrying passengers;a track defining a path for the ride and supporting the vehicles, wherein the track includes a show portion;a show system generating a show display when the vehicles are positioned in the show portion of the track, wherein the show display is adapted for the vehicles to travel through the show portion within a velocity range; anda magnetic pacer assembly comprising a magnetic thruster positioned adjacent the show portion of the track and a controller operating to determine a velocity of at least one of the vehicles in the show portion of the track and, based on the determined velocity, to operate the magnetic thruster to generate a magnetic field that applies a force upon at least one of the vehicles,wherein the force is a decelerating force when the determined velocity is greater than an upper limit of the velocity range and is an accelerating force when the determined velocity is less than a lower limit of the velocity range andwherein the controller operates a least a second time to determine a second velocity of at least one of the vehicles and, based on the determined second velocity, to second operate the magnetic thruster to generate a magnetic field that applies a second force upon the at least one of the vehicles that differs from the first applied force in at least one of direction and magnitude and p1 wherein the magnetic pacer assembly is provided at a first location in the track for applying a lunching force with energy to travel an entire length of a section of the track, and further includes a plurality of magnetic thrusters proximate to the track at a second location spaced apart from the first location within the section of the track; and wherein individual ones of the plurality of magnetic thrusters are operated over the portion of the track. 14. The amusement park ride of claim 13, wherein the magnetic thruster comprises a plurality of linear synchronous motors (LSMs) arranged in series along the track and wherein each of the LSMs are independently operable to generate a magnetic field that accelerates or decelerates the vehicles by applying the magnetic field to a magnetic array provided on the vehicles. 15. The amusement park ride of claim 13, wherein the show portion of the track comprises at least one curved or inclined portion. 16. The amusement park ride of claim 13, wherein the magnetic pacer assembly further comprises a plurality of position sensors positioned along the magnetic thruster and wherein the controller determines two or more velocities for at least one of the vehicles along the magnetic thruster and operates the magnetic thruster to generate magnetic fields based on the two or more velocities.