JPH0510119B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a large pendulum-type vehicle installed in an amusement park or the like, in which the passenger seats swing in a pendulum motion as if falling.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Conventionally, swings have been known as pendulum-type vehicles, but as is well known, conventional swings have arms, chains, ropes, etc. suspended from the upper end of a support structure.
It has a structure in which a seat is attached to the other end of these arms, etc., and the person sitting on the seat applies a rocking force to the seat that increases the amplitude in time with the rocking timing, causing a pendulum motion. It was hot. This type of swing is limited to small size because passengers must row it themselves, and the problem is that it lacks fun because the only thing that can be enjoyed is a small rocking motion.

On the other hand, in the case of amusement parks, etc., the part where passengers ride is imitated like a ship, etc., and a large number of passengers are placed facing the direction of the ship's movement, and the vehicle is subjected to periodic rocking force using power to create a large vibration amplitude. A vehicle similar to a large swing is used that gives However, this device uses power to apply periodic excitation force, and its amplitude and speed are low, so it lacks thrills and lacks the real thrill.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention was developed based on the above circumstances, and involves first using power to raise a gondola carrying passengers to a predetermined height, and then releasing the power to allow the gondola to fall freely due to gravity, thereby creating a pendulum swing. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pendulum-type vehicle for amusement, which is full of thrills and thrills due to the high speed and large amplitude of the fall from a high position, and which allows the user to enjoy the feeling of play due to the varied movements of the gondola. do.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a support structure, and a rocker whose one end is rotatably supported on the support structure via a horizontal shaft, and which is capable of reciprocating around the support shaft. an arm, a gondola that is rotatably supported at the other end of the swinging arm via another horizontal support shaft and carries passengers; and a rotational attitude of the gondola with respect to the swinging arm is selectable. a locking means that locks and unlocks at a certain position; a drive device that raises the gondola to a high position by rotating the swinging arm from a vertical position to a predetermined angle against gravity; a power release mechanism that releases power transmission between the swinging arm and the drive device when the gondola is raised to a predetermined height, and causes the gondola to fall and rotate together with the swinging arm based on gravity; and A brake device for braking the rotation of the device, and the device is characterized by comprising:

[Effect]

According to the above configuration, the drive device rotates the swinging arm to raise the gondola carrying passengers to a high position, and then, by cutting off the power, the gondola and the swinging arm are moved by gravity. It can be made to fall freely and make a pendulum motion. Since the gondola is in free fall, such motion can be performed at a higher speed and amplitude than when rowing by hand. Moreover, since the locking means is provided to lock and unlock the rotational posture of the gondola with respect to the swinging arm at a selectable position, by selecting the locking position, the direction of the gondola during the swinging motion can be adjusted to avoid unnatural orientation. By restraining the gondola in its posture or setting it in an unlocked state, the gondola will rotate around the horizontal support shaft at the tip of the swinging arm due to centrifugal force, allowing the gondola to move in a variety of ways. Therefore, it is even more thrilling and you can enjoy the feeling of play.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The present invention will be explained below based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

In the figure, reference numerals 1 and 1 indicate pillars as support structures, which are formed by, for example, round and square hollow pipes framed in a triangular shape. These pillars 1,
1 reaches several tens of meters in height. A support shaft 2 is positioned at the upper end and spans between the left and right columns 1, 1.
The support shaft 2 is a hollow shaft fixed to a holder 3, as shown in FIG. 3, with respect to the left and right supports 1,1. Swing arms 4, 4 are suspended from this support shaft 2 so as to be capable of pendulum movement. The swing arms 4, 4 are made of, for example, square hollow pipes, and their upper ends are fixed to the sleeper 5 as shown in FIG. The sleeve 5 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 2 by a bearing 6. Note that 7 is a cover that covers the support shaft 2.

The sleep 5 is equipped with a disc brake device 30 that serves both as a power release mechanism and a brake device according to the present invention.
The brake discs 8 are fixed so as to rotate together. Also, sleep 5 has bracket 9.
is rotatably attached, and this bracket 9 is attached to a support pin 12 on a piston rod 11 of a hydraulic cylinder device 10 corresponding to the drive device of the present invention.
are connected via. Hydraulic cylinder device 10
The base end of the cylinder portion 13 is rotatably attached to the column 1. Therefore, when the hydraulic cylinder device 10 is extended, the bracket 9 is rotated about the sleeve 5 in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

The bracket 9 is provided with a plurality of brake calipers 14 located at the peripheral edge of the brake disc 8. These brake calipers 14, known as disc brakes, have pads (not shown) that sandwich both sides of the brake disc 8, and when the hydraulic pistons housed in the calipers 14 are operated, these pads act as brake pads. The disc 8 is compressed and the resulting friction applies braking to the brake disc 8.

The gondola 1 is attached to the lower end of the left and right swing arms 4, 4.
5 is being bridged. The gondola 15 can accommodate a plurality of passengers, and in this embodiment has seats 16 on which a total of 24 passengers sit in two rows, front and rear, as shown in FIG. 6a. Although not shown, the seats 16 are equipped with belts and body holders for fixing the passenger's body.

The gondola 15 is rotatably connected to the lower ends of the swing arms 4, 4 via a support shaft 17 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b, this support shaft 17 is provided at a position eccentric from the center of gravity G of the gondola 15, that is, in FIG. 6, the support shaft 17 is provided at a position higher than the center of gravity G. Therefore, the gondola 15 always tries to maintain a horizontal attitude.

A support shaft 17 on which the gondola 15 is pivotally supported is connected to a gondola lock device 18. The gondola lock device 18 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. That is, 19 is a cylinder fixed to the swing arm 4, and inside this cylinder 19 is a rod 2 having pistons 20 and 21 at both ends.
2 is slidably housed. A rack 23 is carved into the rod 22, and this rack 23 has a pinion gear 24 provided at the end of the support shaft 17.
are interlocking. When hydraulic oil is injected from one inlet 25, the rod 22 is pushed, so the rack 23
When the pinion gear 24 is rotated in one direction through the inlet 26 and hydraulic oil is pressurized through the other inlet 26, the pinion gear 24 is rotated in the opposite direction.

Therefore, if the supply of hydraulic oil is selected, the gondola 15 rotates relative to the swing arms 4, 4, and when the inflow and outflow of the hydraulic oil is locked in this state, the gondola 15 rotates relative to the swing arms 4, 4. 4, it is locked in its rotational position.

The operation of the pendulum type vehicle having such a configuration, that is, how to play it will be explained.

By operating the disc brake device 30 with the arm 4 hanging vertically, the rotation of the brake disc 8 is prevented, thereby stopping the swinging of the swinging arm 4, and the gondola 15 is moved as shown in FIG. 6a. When the gondola is in such a horizontal position, the flow of hydraulic oil in the gondola lock device 18 is stopped to prevent the gondola 15 from rotating.

In this state, passengers board the gondola 15 from a platform (not shown), sit on the gondolas 16, and then secure themselves with safety belts or the like.

When the safety of the passengers is confirmed, the gondola 15 is unlocked by the gondola lock device 18 so that the gondola 15 can freely rotate relative to the swing arms 4, 4.

In this state, the hydraulic cylinder device 10 is extended and operated while the disc brake device 30 is being applied, that is, while the brake disc 8 is being held between the pads.

Due to this expansion of the cylinder device 10, the bracket 9 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, and this bracket 9
The caliper 14 of the disc brake device 30 attached to is also rotated in the same direction. Therefore, the brake disc 8 held between the pads is also rotated in the same direction, and the swing arm 4 is also rotated integrally through the sleeve 5. That is, the swing arm 4
is forcibly pushed up in the direction of arrow B, as shown in FIG. 6b.

The amount of rotation θ of the swing arm 4 is selected to be 60 degrees or more, preferably around 90 degrees with respect to the vertical line.

When the swinging arm 4 is pushed up in this way, the gondola 15 can freely rotate with respect to the swinging arm 4, and since its center of gravity G is below the support shaft 17, the gondola 15 is in a horizontal position. It is then lifted to the position shown in Figure 6b.

From this state, there are two ways for passengers to enjoy themselves, that is, play. One is when the gondola 15 is locked so that it cannot rotate relative to the swing arm 4, and the other is when the gondola 15 is released so that it can freely rotate relative to the swing arm 4. This is a case where you keep it.

To explain the former case, when the gondola 15 assumes a horizontal position as shown in FIG. Lock it as it is.

Next, the pads of the disc brake device 30 are opened to instantly release the restraint of the brake disc 8. Then, the gondola 15 first descends as if in free fall under the influence of gravity, and then makes a pendulum movement about the support shaft 2 as shown in FIGS. 6c and 6d. In this case, since the rotational position of the gondola 15 is restricted with respect to the swing arm 4,
In the position shown in FIG. 6c, the passenger is in a lying position, and in the position shown in FIG. 6d, the passenger is in a substantially inverted position.

Such a pendulum movement is performed by the action of gravity, and the pendulum is reciprocated multiple times to more than 10 times.

When the pendulum movement is to be stopped, when the arm 4 is swung in the direction shown in FIG. 6b, the disc brake device 30 is activated to slowly stop the swinging arm 4. When the swing arm 4 is on the right side, when the gondola lock device 18 is unlocked,
The gondola 15 rotates so that the center of gravity G is directly below the support shaft 17.

In this state, when the disk is released using the pad of the disk brake device 30, the swing arm 4 returns to the vertical state as shown in FIG. 6a. In this state, the arm 4 and gondola 15 are locked.
Passengers remove their safety straps and step onto the platform.

Next, a case will be described in which the gondola 15 is caused to make pendulum movement in a state where it can freely rotate relative to the swing arm 4. After the gondola 15 has been raised as shown in FIG.
It makes a pendulum motion based on the oscillation of the pendulum. In this case, since the gondola 15 can freely rotate with respect to the swing arm 4, it also swings relative to the swing arm 4. In other words, the pendulum motion of the swinging arm 4 and the swinging motion of the gondola 15 relative to the arm 4 are combined, resulting in an extremely complex motion, which increases the interest. Thereafter, the arm 4 can be stopped in the same manner as in the above case.

As explained above about the two ways of enjoyment, the pendulum type vehicle of this embodiment not only allows passengers to enjoy swinging motion like a simple swing, but also
The swinging arm that suspends the gondola from the beginning is slowly rotated at least 60 degrees from the vertical, preferably around 90 degrees, raising the gondola to a high position, and instantly releasing the arm to allow it to fall freely. Since the device produces a pendulum motion by descending close to 200 degrees, it is possible to increase the height of the fall, increase the speed of the fall, and increase the amplitude, providing thrilling play.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

That is, for example, when first rotating the swinging arm 4 to raise the gondola 15, if the gondola 15 is raised to the left in the opposite direction to that shown in FIG. When you do,
The thrill becomes even more thrilling as the passengers descend face down, as if hitting the ground head first. Incidentally, this kind of movement will be the same even if the passenger is seated in the opposite direction in FIG. 6a.

Further, in the above embodiment, the hydraulic cylinder device 10 is used to raise the swing arm 4, but instead of this, the swing arm 4 may be lifted by an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, or other power source. A clutch may be used to release this lifting force.

Furthermore, in the case of the above embodiment, the disc brake device 30 controls the braking action of the swing arm 4;
Although the power release mechanism of the power transmission system that transmits the power of the cylinder 10 to the swing arm 4 is also used, the present invention may be configured with a completely different mechanism. For example, a clutch or the like may be used as the power release mechanism. It is.

Also, the brake device is not limited to disc brakes, but may also be drum brakes, etc.
Further, the gondola lock device 18 is not limited to using a pinion or a rack, but may also be implemented by a hydraulic cylinder device.

In addition, passengers are not limited to sitting in the seats, but can also enjoy the ride while standing.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, a gondola carrying passengers is suspended on a swinging arm, and this arm is rotated to lift the gondola to a high place, and power is instantly transmitted to the arm and released, causing the gondola to move. By making the gondola descend in a state close to free fall and making multiple pendulum movements, the height, speed, and amplitude of the pendulum movement can be extremely large, and the movement of the gondola can be varied. This allows for a thrilling way to enjoy the game.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view, FIG. 2 is a side view of the middle part of FIG. 1, and FIG.
The figure is a sectional view taken along the line in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the middle part of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a sectional view thereof, and FIGS. . 1, 1... Column (support structure), 2... Horizontal axis,
4, 4... Swing arm, 10... Hydraulic cylinder device (drive device), 30... Disc brake device (power release mechanism and brake device), 8... Brake disk, 14... Caliper, 15... Gondola , 17... Support shaft, 18... Gondola lock device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A support structure, and a swinging arm whose one end is rotatably supported via a horizontal shaft with respect to the support structure, and which is capable of reciprocating rotational movement about the support shaft. and a gondola rotatably supported at the other end of the swinging arm via another horizontal support shaft for carrying passengers, and a position where the rotational attitude of the gondola with respect to the swinging arm can be selected. a locking means that locks and unlocks the gondola; a drive device that raises the gondola to a high position by rotating the swinging arm from a vertical position to a predetermined angle against gravity; a power release mechanism that releases power transmission between the swinging arm and the drive device when the gondola is raised to a predetermined height, and causes the gondola to fall and rotate together with the swinging arm based on gravity; A pendulum-type vehicle for play, characterized by comprising: a brake device for braking the rotation of a movable arm;