EP0116109A1 - Amusement device such as a roller coaster - Google Patents

Abstract

The development of popular amusement facilities in the manner of roller coasters with passenger carriers hanging from the closed rail system has in practice led to previously uncontrollable difficulties because the pendulum vibrations that occur when cornering at high speed under the influence of centrifugal force have led to dangerous breaking loads despite damping measures. In order to overcome these problems, the invention proposes suspending the individual support rod (2) of the passenger carrier (1) in a joint frame (12) of the undercarriage (4) and supporting them via air springs (28) designed as bellows cylinders. The running and guide rollers (5, 6) of the undercarriage (4) are combined in assemblies, the supports (23, 25) of which are mounted in the articulated frame (12) about axes (8, 22) which extend transversely to the direction of travel and cross. In this way it is achieved that the running and guide wheels (5, 6) can freely adjust to the position of the rail (9, 10, 11) and the forces resulting from the damping or avoidance of the pendulum vibration on all running and guide wheels (5, 6) are distributed.

Description

The invention relates to a folk amusement device in the manner of a roller coaster with passenger carriers which can be moved in a hanging position along a closed rail system and which are pendulum-capable and suspended on running gear and guide rollers and supported on them by means of damping members.

Fairground shops of this kind can be expected to increase the attraction in combination with a more cost-effective design compared to roller coasters, but the progress of the development has not yet led to a perfectly functioning system. In the downhill run described in DE-PS 861 369 for the people's amusement with pendulum-mounted aircraft-shaped gondolas, no thought has been given to the design of the rail system and the running gear. On the other hand, DE-OS 23 06 385 reveals a basic concept according to which two upright carrying rods are fixed in place on the passenger carrier, which are suspended in a chassis, each being capable of swinging, via rollers and guide rollers. Here, the rollers are guided in mutually facing and rigidly connected U-rails, between which the chassis has a ball joint for hanging, pendulous arrangement of the support rod for the passenger carrier. In curved sections, the U-rails are inclined according to the expected centrifugal force. Lateral forces are to be absorbed by spring-loaded guide rollers.

With this system it was not recognized that hanging vehicles oscillate even if the curved track is inclined.

When entering a curve, the suddenly acting centrifugal force causes the passenger truck to swing outward beyond the state of equilibrium and then swing back again beyond the original vertical position. The passenger carrier therefore oscillates around the state of equilibrium. When exiting the curve, the passenger carrier can continue to swing, resonances can form. This does not guarantee safety for the passenger.

This problem is to be solved in a similar, known Volksbelustigungseinrichtung according to DE-PS 23 29 423 in that the lateral guide wheels are rigidly guided in a rigid chassis and the wheels are mounted on a rocker. The rails, consisting of four tubes, are always aligned horizontally, even on curved sections. The resulting pendulum vibrations are to be absorbed by friction damping elements, the damping of which should be proportional to the swivel angle of the passenger carrier. These friction damping members are arranged as a telescopic structure between an almost vertical support rod holding the passenger carrier and the chassis so that they describe a smaller radius than their articulation point on the support rod. The forces acting on the articulation point on the chassis exert a torque on the chassis, which should press the chassis firmly against the rails with two guide wheels each on one side. In addition, the wheels should be pressed against the upper rails, which would lead to braking of the wheels.

The consequence of this known arrangement observed in practice is not a substantial avoidance of the dreaded pendulum vibration, but rather the susceptibility of parts of the chassis or even the supporting structure to breakage for the passenger carrier.

) It is therefore the object of the invention to change the chassis construction for the hanging, pendulum-capable arranged passenger carrier so that pendulum vibrations transverse to the direction of travel can actually be effectively reduced or avoided without exposing parts of the construction to breakage.

The inventive solution to this problem is based on the teaching of DE-PS 23 29 423 and includes the features listed in the characterizing part of the main claim.

With these solution features, the invention pursues the basic idea of absorbing the lateral oscillating movements of the passenger carrier by air springs designed as bellows cylinders, which are arranged on both sides in the oscillating plane, and deriving the resulting supporting forces as evenly as possible from groups of running and guiding rollers, the bearings of which are more than one crossing joint axes are guided in the chassis. This creates a power split, which is the cause that the components of the chassis and the support structure are no longer exposed to breaking loads.

While in the prior art mentioned part of the vibration energy is to be destroyed by generating friction work, in the invention the use of the air springs on the one hand brings about a considerable damping of the vibration energy due to deformation of the bellows and on the other hand influences the restoring force which causes the swinging out of the passenger carrier limited in every driving position and thus contributes to a fluid and safe guidance of the passenger carrier even at high speeds, small curve radii and rapid corner changes.

Numerous embodiments of the invention are mentioned in the subclaims, with the aid of which the numerous running and guide rollers are adapted to the constantly changing rail position, whereby The invention also pursues the principle idea of making not only the axes of the running and guide rollers einstellfähig but also the _F ahrwerkrahmen to make flexible to the free adjustment capability of each role .Insert not this debilitating resisting to.

The invention also deviates from the idea of using tubes in the rail system for guiding the running and guiding rollers. Rather, it has been shown that it is better to guide the rollers on flat, curved and appropriately inclined rails in order to be able to absorb the load from the entire width of the individual roller. However, the teaching of DE-OS 23 06 385 with the U-rails shown there is unsuitable for the application of this idea. Instead, the invention discloses an independent solution in claims 12 to 16.

The rail construction defined in these claims is new in itself and can also be used successfully with differently designed amusement facilities. That in. A cross-section, preferably a cylindrical support tube, provides the rail construction with the required strength and offers the possibility of hanging the rail construction hanging on cantilevers of the framework of the amusement device. Such a tube can be equipped with the required special equipment
bend so that the theoretically specified rail guide can be surprisingly exactly adhered to. The running and guide rails welded to this support tube have the required flat, curved surface. Overall, this results in an inexpensive and very precisely executable rail construction, which is particularly suitable for hanging passenger carriers.

Finally, the invention proceeds from the previously known idea of having towing drives for moving the passenger truck on mountain routes act on the chassis. Instead, the invention suggests in claim 17 a new design of the passenger carrier for hangande arrangements, according to which they have on their underside a downwardly open, continuous channel for the arrangement of driver elements for attacking the towing device. Because of the design of the undercarriage according to the invention, there are no constraints in this arrangement, although the towing device acts on the passenger carrier at a considerable distance from the undercarriage.

• Fig. 1: Eine prinzipiell gehaltene Seitenansicht eines an einem Schienensystem hängend gefUhrten Fahrgastträgers,
• Fig. 2: eine Draufsicht auf ein Fahrwerk entsprechend dem Schnitt II-II in Fig. 1,
• Fig. 3: einen Teilquerschnitt durch das Fahrwerk entlang der Linie III-III in Fig. 2,
• Fig. 4: einen Querschnitt durch das Fahrwerk entsprechend der Linie IV-IV in Fig. 2,
• Fig. 5₁ eine Seitenansicht des Fahrwerkes entsprechend dem Pfeil A in Fig. 2,
• Fig. 6: eine Stirnansicht eines Fahrgastträgers gemäß Fig. 1
• Fig. 7: einen Querschnitt durch die Schienenkonstruktion entlang der Linie VII-VII in Fig. 1, und
• Fig. 8: eine Seitenansicht eines Fahrwerkzuges entsprechend einer Darstellung der Fig. 1 und 5.

Details of the invention are shown schematically and for example in the drawing. It shows:

• 1 shows a side view, in principle, of a passenger carrier suspended from a rail system,
• 2: a plan view of a chassis according to the section II-II in Fig. 1,
• 3: a partial cross section through the chassis along the line III-III in Fig. 2,
• 4 shows a cross section through the chassis along the line IV-IV in Fig. 2,
• 5 _{1 is} a side view of the chassis according to arrow A in Fig. 2,
• 6: an end view of a passenger carrier according to FIG. 1
• Fig. 7: a cross section through the rail construction along the line VII-VII in Fig. 1, and
• 8: a side view of a chassis train corresponding to a representation of FIGS. 1 and 5.

In Fig. 1, a passenger carrier 1 is shown sketchily, which is arranged above the supporting rods 2 fixed to it in a pendulum-like manner, suspended from undercarriages 4, which are guided over a rail construction 9, 10, 11. This rail construction 9, 10, 11 is a component a closed rail system like a roller coaster. It has mountain and valley routes and curves, not shown, whose inclination can alternate rapidly, the system being designed for overcoming large differences in height and thus for generating high driving speeds with the correspondingly high centrifugal forces.

The individual passenger carrier 1 is suspended from a main joint 3 on the chassis 4 such that it can swing. Each support rod 2 is assigned its own undercarriage 4. The support rods 2 can be connected to one another, as in the prior art, by a linkage 40:

When driving through curves, a considerable centrifugal force acts on the passenger carrier 1 and its supporting rods 2, which would give rise to dreaded oscillations. How the invention dampens and suppresses these vibrations is shown in the example in FIG. 3, which will be discussed later.

1, the individual undercarriage 4 is broken down into a plurality of undercarriage groups 7, of which each undercarriage group 7 has four pairs of track rollers 5 and two pairs of guide rollers 6 which, according to FIG. 7, act on track rails 9 and guide rails 11 with a rectangular cross section , which are welded to a tubular rail stringer 10. In curved sections, these rails 9, 11 are inclined according to the expected centrifugal force, following the position of the rail support 10, which is curved according to the theoretical rail axis.

The problem of the invention is now to keep the running and guide rollers 5, 6 freely adjustable despite constantly changing rail guidance and the forces resulting from the pendulum movement of the passenger carrier 1 and their damping as uniformly as possible to all Distribute roles 5.6 to avoid the occurrence of breaking loads. For this purpose, the individual undercarriage group 7 is articulated in the undercarriage 4, 8 being symbolically depicting an undercarriage group joint, the axis of which extends transversely to the rail axis and thus to the direction of travel. Further joint axes are shown more clearly in FIG. 2, which shows the undercarriage 4 in a constructive configuration in a top view.

2 initially contains an articulated frame 12 which is formed from longitudinal spars 13 and transverse spars 14 which are connected to one another at the joints 15 in such a way that the individual spars 13, 14 under the resulting forces are relative movements to a certain extent can execute. In the middle of the undercarriage 4, a yoke 16 designed as a hollow carrier is arranged and rotatably connected to the longitudinal spars 13 via the bearings 17. Of these bearings 17, which are preferably designed as slide bearings, has an axial play, so that a displacement of the articulated frame does not lead to constraints. Located in the yoke 16 in the vertical plane running through the rail axis is a shaft 18 which is rotatably mounted about this longitudinal axis and which is provided at its ends with flattened pins 29 in which joints 22 with a vertical axis of rotation are located. The function of the joints 22 results from the later description of FIG. 4.

A self-aligning bearing 19 for receiving the eye 20 of the support rod 2 and the main joint 3 (see FIG. 1) is arranged within the yoke 16 on the shaft 18. In order to maintain the free mobility of the eye 20 or the support rod 2, there are correspondingly shaped openings 21 in the top and bottom walls of the yoke 16. The support rod 2 can accordingly oscillate about the axis formed by the shaft 18 transversely to the direction of travel 37. The resulting pendulum vibrations are damped by the arrangement according to FIG. 3 and the resulting support forces act on the yoke 16 in the form of torques about the axis of rotation of the shaft 18.

As already shown in FIG. 1, groups of rollers 5 and guide wheels 6 are combined and hung in an articulated manner in the chassis 14. According to FIG. 2, the rollers 5, 6 are supported in angular brackets 25 (cf. also FIG. 4), which are rotatably suspended on brackets 23 about the hinge axis 8 already shown in FIG. embrace in a shaped manner (cf. FIG. 4), rotatably mounted in the joint 22 and are movably guided in the longitudinal struts 13 of the joint frame 12 with the aid of the rollers 24.

If the undercarriage 4 is in a curve section, the brackets 23 can twist about the articular axis 22 and can adjust to one another at an acute angle. This relative pivoting is not hindered by the guidance of the rollers 24 in the longitudinal spars 13, because these longitudinal spars 13 are preferably designed as inwardly open U-profiles, on the inner leg surfaces of which the rollers 14 can execute circular movements around the joints 22.

The joints 22 are designed in the form of self-aligning bearings 30 (cf. FIG. 4), so that the brackets 23 can also be set independently when passing through turning points on curved sections. In addition, the rotatable mounting of the shaft 18 in the yoke 16 provides a further degree of freedom, so that curve inclinations in the area of turning points cannot lead to any constraints on the rollers 5, 6 or their bearings.

In the extreme case, the articulated frame 12 is able to assume a skewed position deviating from the rectangular position shown in FIG. 2 on different sides.

FIG. 3 shows the yoke 16 in the partial section III-III that can be seen in FIG. 2. Both on the support rod 2 and quch on the yoke 16 struts 26,27 are provided, between which air springs 28 formed as bellows cylinders are clamped. These air springs 28 are previously known components from chassis technology for large loads wagons and rail-bound vehicles. The oscillation about the axis 3, 19, 20 leads to the deformation of the air springs 28 with compression or relief of the air clamped therein, whereby on the one hand considerable damping and on the other hand the formation of restoring forces can be generated. Valves, not shown, are connected to the air springs 28, which lead to air pressure sources and are intended to maintain the theoretically predetermined air pressure within the air springs 28.

The number of air springs 28 is determined according to the existing loads. Their hides are to be arranged so that they are also at oblique Pen _- spindles of the support rods 2 deform and can afford damping work. If you want to completely or partially prevent the creation of restoring forces, it is expedient to connect the interiors of the air springs opposite each other on both sides of the support rod 2 using pressure technology.

The damping of the pendulum vibrations of the support rod 2 about the axis 3, 19, 20 by the air springs 28 leads to a torque load on the yoke 16 about the axis 3, 19, 20 mentioned. This torque is transmitted to the longitudinal spars 13 of the articulated frame 12 via the bearings 17 and, due to the articulated arrangement of the chassis groups 7 in the articulated frame 12, is uniformly derived on the running and guide rollers 5, 6. Since these rollers 5, 6 are guided over their entire width on the rails 9, 11, they are readily able to absorb the branched forces and prevent breakage.

From Fig. 4 it can be seen how the shaft 18 with its flattened pins 29 is guided between spaced apart webs 39 of a bracket 23. A bearing pin 31 is fastened in these webs 39. The Uberdies spherical and arranged with play between the webs 39 pin 29 is guided via a self-aligning bearing 30 on the bearing pin 31. On the one hand, the bracket 23 can pivot about the axis of the bearing journal 31 (joint 22). On the other hand, the shaft 18 is able to with the help of the self-aligning bearing 30 despite the Hinge pin 31 to rotate about its axis. The other bracket 23 need not have this self-aligning.

Furthermore, it is shown in FIG. 4 that the running and guide rails 9, 11 are stiffened with respect to the rail support 10 via gusset plates 33. The running surfaces for the rollers 5 and guide rollers 6 are located on the side of these gusset plates 33. Several sections of the rail supports 10 are connected to one another via flanges 32. The diameter of these flanges 32 is also such that the running surfaces of the rails 9, 11 are not affected. A support arm 38 is shown symbolically with dash-dotted lines, which, for example, engages the rail supports 10 in the region of the joints and is connected to a frame (not shown). This gives the possibility of arranging the rail construction hanging on the frame without the rollers 5, 6 of the undercarriage 4 being adversely affected thereby.

5 shows the position of the chassis group joints 8, around which the angle brackets 25, which carry the running and guide rollers 5, 6, can be pivoted. In spite of the straight-line representation of the running rails 9 chosen in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the running and guide rollers 5, 6 can easily adjust their position in the case of concave or convex curvature of the running rails 9 by the angle bracket 25 being able to pivot about the hinge axis 8 .

Finally, in the example in FIG. 6, it is also shown that the individual passenger carrier 1 has on its underside a channel formation 35 which runs in the direction of travel and is open at the bottom and in which dash-dot and symbolically illustrated driver elements 36 can be arranged which are intended for the engagement of towing devices are. In the usual roller coaster amusement facilities, the passenger trolleys become 1 Uber such a towing device, not shown, is moved along a mountain route to the highest position of the scaffolding, from where the passenger carriers 1 are returned to the starting point due to their own energy in the position above valley-mountain and curve routes. In the case of suspended gantry carriers 1, it has previously been customary for the towing device to engage the undercarriage. Since the undercarriage 4 according to the invention is designed to be flexible, the possibility is opened to allow the towing device to act on the passenger carrier 1 at a location far away from the undercarriage 4. However, this also gives the possibility of also keeping the required braking devices at a distance from the chassis. With 34 running boards to facilitate entry into the passenger carrier 1 are shown.

In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 8, the suspension of the support rods 2 of a plurality of passenger carriers 1 coupled together to form a train is illustrated. Thereafter, the coupling of two adjacent passenger carriers 1 is brought about only by their adjacent support rods 2, which are mounted on the shaft 18 with their eyes 20 at a certain distance from one another in a self-moving manner. Thus, the two adjacent support rods 2 are assigned to a common running gear 4, which consequently takes over the function of a clutch with U. On the other hand, the passenger carrier 1 can be pivoted independently of one another about the axis of the shaft 18, so that their pivoting behavior cannot have an adverse effect on adjacent passenger carrier 1. The eyes 20 of the support rods 2 pass through an opening 21 in the yoke 16 which is wider than in the example in FIG. 2, corresponding to the distance between the eyes 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 in detail, the shaft 18 is guided in a single bracket 23 which carries the bearings for the running and guide rollers 5, 6.

Claims (59)

1) Popular amusement facility in the manner of a roller coaster with passenger carriers which can be moved in a hanging position along a closed rail system, which are suspended via carrying rods such that they can swing on running gear and guide rollers and are supported on them by means of damping elements, characterized in that several running and guide rollers (5, 6) arranged in chassis groups (7) and these in a frame (12) forming the chassis (4) around axes (8, 22) extending perpendicular to the direction of travel. are suspended in an articulated manner and that air springs (28) are provided as damping members, which are clamped in the form of bellows cylinders between the support rod (2) and a yoke (16) passing through the chassis (4) transversely to the direction of travel. 2) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the yoke (16) is mounted in the frame (12) about an axis (17) extending transversely to the direction of travel. 3) Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized gekennzeichn e t that the frame (12) consists of articulated longitudinal and transverse bars (13, 14). 4) Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the longitudinal spars (13) as inwardly open profiles, e.g. with a U-shaped cross section. 5) Device according to claim 1 or following, characterized is characterized in that two adjacent rollers and guide rollers (4, 5) are mounted in an angle bracket (25) and this is articulated about an axis (8) extending transversely to the direction of travel on a bracket (23), which in turn in the chassis, ( 4) is supported about a vertical axis (22) and is supported in the longitudinal spars (13) of the frame (12). 6) Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the vertical axis (22) at the intersection of the vertical plane extending through the rail axis of the chassis (4) with the transverse longitudinal axis of the bracket (23). 7) Device according to claim 1, 2, 5 or 6, characterized in that in the yoke (16) in the vertical plane of the chassis (4) extending and on both sides beyond the yoke (16) projecting shaft (18) is mounted, which carries the main joint (3) for the support rod (2) within the yoke (16) and has joints (22) forming the vertical axes at both ends for the mounting of the bracket (23). 8) Device according to claim 7, characterized in that one end of the shaft (18) flattened and penetrated by a bearing pin (31) with a self-aligning bearing (30) which in the shaft end with game-engaging webs (38) of the bracket (23rd ) is performed. 9) Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the eye (20) of the support rod (2) via a pendulum bearing (19) is connected to the shaft (18) and that the yoke (16) formed as a box girder openings (21) for the support rod (2) and its eye (20). 10) Device according to claim 7 or following, characterized in that when several passenger carriers (1) are coupled, the mutually adjacent supporting rods (2) of such passenger carriers (1) are suspended in a common undercarriage (4) in such a way that their eyes (20) are open the shaft (18) passing through the yoke (16) is mounted at a distance from one another on both sides of the axis running through the bearings (17) of the yoke (16). 11) Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the brackets (23) by means of rollers (24) are guided in the longitudinal spars (13). 12) Device according to claim 1 or one of the subsequent claims, characterized in that the support rod (2) and the yoke (16) have strut-forming projections (26, 27) extending transversely to the direction of travel, between which the bellows cylinders (28) are clamped . 13) People's amusement facility in the manner of a roller coaster with passenger carriers that can be moved in a hanging position along a closed rail system, which are suspended by pendulum-capable suspension on running gear and guide rollers and are supported on them by means of damping members, characterized in that the rail system consists of a tubular rail carrier (10 ), which has freely projecting rails (9) in the horizontal plane running through its axis and a prismatic cross-section in the cross-section and on its underside a guide rail (11) freely projecting in the vertical plane, against the outer surfaces of which the running and guide rollers (5,6 ) attack. 14) Device still claim 13, characterized in that the rail carrier (10) with its running and guide rails (9, 11) is inclined in curves according to the centrifugal force. 15) Device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized gekennzeichn et that at the joints of sections of the rail support (10) the diameter-increasing flanges are provided, the radially from the track of the guide and rollers (5, 6) expanding parts of the Running and guide rails (9, 11) are surmounted. 6) Device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the running and guide rails (9, 11) are stiffened by means of gusset plates (33) relative to the rail support (10). 7) Device according to claim 14 or one of the following, characterized in that the rail supports (10) are suspended from the support arms (38) of the scaffolding. 8) Device according to claim 1 or subsequent claims, characterized in that the passenger carriers (1) have on their underside a channel (35) which extends in the direction of travel and is open at the bottom for the arrangement of driver elements (36) for attacking towing devices. parts list 1 passenger carrier 2 support rods 3 main joint 4 undercarriage 5 roller 6 leadership role 7 chassis group 8 suspension group joint 9 track 10 rail supports 11 guide rail 12 articulated frames 13 longitudinal spar 14 crossbar 15 joint 16 yokes 17 bearings 18 wave 19 self-aligning bearings 20 eye of support rod 21 breakthrough 22 joint 23 bracket 24 roll 25 angle bracket 26 approach 27 approach 28 air spring (bellows cylinder) 29 cones 30 self-aligning bearings 31 journals 32 flange 33 gusset plate 34 running board 35 channel 36 driver element 37 Direction of travel 38 support arm 39 footbridge 40 rods

Images