Abstract
An amusement ride or course for vehicles with their own driving and control options, on a carriageway. The amusement ride having at least one zone, in which at least one participating vehicle driving autonomously on the carriageway is guided, by means of retaining and/or guide means, along a pre-defined route in a pre-defined route section designed as an attraction. The vehicle having retaining means or leading means for a corresponding reversible connection to the guide means and/or retaining means of the installation, by which retaining—and/or leading means the vehicle is guided and/or retained through the zone, and the retaining means and/or guide means on the vehicle correspondingly interlocked with and released from the retaining—and/or guide means of the installation during a movement-or—journey of the vehicle in the zone.
Claims
1.-27. (canceled)
28. An amusement ride, for vehicles with their own drive and control capability, on a carriageway route, comprising: an amusement course having at least one zone (1), in which at least one participating vehicle (3) driving on the carriageway route is guided, by retaining guide means (6, 7, 11, 12, 16), along a pre-defined route (2, 2′) in a pre-defined route section designed as an attraction; the at least one participating vehicle having retaining leading means (4, 4′) for a corresponding reversible connection to the retaining guide means of the amusement course, by which said retaining leading means the vehicle is guided and retained through the zone; and the retaining leading means on the at least one vehicle are correspondingly configured to interlock with and release from the retaining guide means of the amusement course during a movement of the at least one vehicle in said zone on the amusement course.
29. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, wherein: said pre-defined route (2, 2′) further comprises in at least one section (2, 2′) at least one of a looping (15), an upside-down route, a spiral route, and a steep face route, which is configured to be driven through using said at least one participating vehicle and is designed as an attraction.
30. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, wherein: the amusement ride further consists of: a plurality of successively arranged attraction turning routes for said vehicles that are each arranged at the ends of said amusement ride and a driving back and forth of the vehicles on this at least one attraction route passes at least two of said plurality of successively arranged attraction turning routes.
31. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, further comprising: at least one zone (1) designed with at least one funnel-shaped access area and an acceleration route (2); and wherein said retaining leading means (4, 4′) are attached to the vehicle (3) at a thread or an interlock during an entry into the attraction turning route on the acceleration route corresponding to the retaining guide means (6, 7, 11, 12, 16) of the installation of the zone and are released or threaded out in an exit area.
32. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, wherein: the zone is designed as an attraction route and is equipped with at least one resting area (2, 13) for a plurality of wheels (10) of the vehicle configured as a lane (13).
33. The amusement ride, according to claim 31, wherein: the retaining guide means are arranged on the attraction route depicting the route; the retaining guide means are provided in a profile configuration; and said profile configuration including at least one of a U-profile (12), a rail profile, a pipe element profile, a groove profile, or a grasping means profile for the retaining leading means (4) attached to the vehicle configured to securely keep the vehicle along the attraction route.
34. The amusement ride, according to claim 33, further comprising: pairs of front and rear wheels on said vehicle; said front wheels having a wheel width; said carriageway route having opposed recesses having a recess width; and said recess width configured to receive said wheel width and guide and stabilize said vehicle during a use of said amusement ride along said amusement course.
35. The amusement ride, course, according to claim 34, wherein: said vehicle further comprising a supporting structure; said retaining leading means attached to said support structure of said vehicle; and said retaining leading means attached to the vehicle configured to be at least one of rotatably-mounted, spring-mounted, and cylindrical-mounted means that are fixed to at least one of said supporting structure of the vehicle and said retaining leading means (4, 4′).
36. The amusement ride, according to claim 35, wherein: at least one of said pair of front wheels and said rear wheels being drive wheels of said vehicle; and the retaining leading means (4) attached to the vehicle are configured as cylindrical means that are spring-and-rotatably mounted to the vehicle and which are pressed on at least two of said wheels of the vehicle when threading in the acceleration route to the attraction route and can be moved by the drive wheels when travelling through the attraction route.
37. The amusement ride, according to claim 36, wherein: the at least one retaining leading means (4′) attached to the vehicle is configured to be a rotatably mounted rolling element in a front lower area of the vehicle; and said rotatably mounted rolling element, upon entering the acceleration route or attraction route, grasps onto a guide along said pre-defined route (2, 2′) and engages in a reversible manner and glides out of this at the exit area.
38. The amusement ride, according to claim 37, wherein: the rotatably mounted rolling element (4′) is arranged at a middle of said front lower area of the vehicle and, during the entry of the vehicle to said amusement course, engages into the guide along said pre-defined route (2, 2′) through at least the attraction route; and wherein at least one of said pair of front wheels of the vehicle is raised at least in sections along said pre-defined route.
39. The amusement ride, according to claim 36, wherein: the at least one retaining leading means (4′) is attached to the vehicle at an underside of the vehicle; and when said vehicle enters said acceleration route (2) said at least one retaining leading means (4′) engages in a reversible manner into a guide on the carriageway of the attraction route and glides said vehicle out of it in the exit area.
40. The amusement ride, according to claim 35, wherein: the retaining leading means attached to the vehicle are configured as protruding guide means (4) protruding beyond said pairs of wheels of said vehicle.
41. The amusement ride, according to claim 35, wherein: the retaining leading means attached to the vehicle are configured as vehicle attached elements; said vehicle attached elements are configured with an adjustable contact device and at least one rotatable mounting connecting means connecting with the retaining guide means in said attraction turning route.
42. The amusement ride, according to claim 41, wherein: the vehicle is equipped with one of a roll bar and a roll cage (5); at a top side of said at least one of said roll bar and a roll cage (5) is at least one retaining guide element; and said at least one retaining guide element is configured to engage to said guide means (6, 7) along the attraction turning route whereby said vehicle is retained during a journing along said attraction turning route in an inverted position.
43. The amusement ride, according to claim 42, wherein: the vehicles are electric vehicles.
44. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, wherein: the vehicles are remotely controlled vehicles configured to be remotely controlled for acceleration effect and braking effect.
Description
[0027] The figures show:
[0028] FIG. 1 a view of a vehicle on a zone of a course or race track with entry into an attraction route.
[0029] FIG. 2 a view of a vehicle after threading into the attraction route on the acceleration route.
[0030] FIG. 3 a view of a vehicle after threading in the acceleration section of the attraction route.
[0031] FIG. 4 a frontal view of the vehicle from FIG. 3.
[0032] FIG. 5 a lateral view on a threaded vehicle in the acceleration section with roller elements on rails of the installation as a retaining and/or leading means.
[0033] FIG. 6 a lateral view of a variation of a vehicle with bumpers and slide elements for the amusement ride.
[0034] FIG. 7 a perspective view of a variation of a vehicle for the amusement ride.
[0035] FIG. 8 a perspective view of a variation of a vehicle for the amusement ride after entering the attraction route.
[0036] FIG. 9 a frontal view of a vehicle as it passes through the attraction route.
[0037] FIG. 10 a perspective rear view of a vehicle entering the attraction route in another variant of the route.
[0038] FIG. 11 a frontal view of the vehicle in the situation of FIG. 10.
[0039] FIG. 12 a perspective view of a vehicle passing through an attraction route in another variant with bumper.
[0040] FIG. 13 a frontal view of the vehicle as it passes through the attraction route, in accordance with FIG. 12.
[0041] FIG. 14 a frontal view of a vehicle with four retaining means and/or leading means on the vehicle as it passes through a designated attraction route.
[0042] FIG. 15 a lateral view of the vehicle passing through in accordance with FIG. 14.
[0043] FIG. 16 a lateral view on another variant with four retaining means and/or leading means on the vehicle that can be penetrated on the wheels when passing through a designated attraction route.
[0044] FIG. 17 a frontal view of the vehicle passing through in accordance with FIG. 16.
[0045] FIG. 18 a perspective view of a variant with retaining means on the axles or wheels of the vehicle in a suitable route.
[0046] FIG. 19 a top view of the vehicle during travel in accordance with FIG. 18.
[0047] FIG. 20 a schematic view of a looping as an attraction route with a vehicle travelling in it and a vehicle waiting at the threading point.
[0048] FIG. 21 a top view of the situation in accordance with FIG. 20.
[0049] FIG. 22 a view of a vehicle at the upside-down point when passing through the attraction route.
[0050] FIG. 23 a view of a vehicle from the front with alternative guide and/or retaining means.
[0051] FIG. 24 a view of a vehicle from the front with alternative guide and/or retaining means in accordance with FIG. 23 with alternative additional guidance.
[0052] FIG. 25 a lateral view of an embodiment of the vehicle and section of the route in accordance with FIG. 23.
[0053] FIG. 26 a lateral view of an embodiment of the vehicle and section of the route in accordance with FIG. 24.
[0054] FIG. 27 a lateral view of a vehicle alone.
[0055] In the FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, an embodiment of a possible part of an amusement ride, course, race track or similar is shown, in which vehicles 3, here represented as go-karts, enter a transition 1 into an attraction area or into an attraction route 2. The vehicles come from an area (not shown), in which they can be moved like on a conventional go-kart course, via the access area 1 to the attraction route 2 and/or the acceleration route of the attraction route, towards which the carriageway increasingly narrows in a funnel-shaped manner and the vehicle travels through the attraction route on the actual, limited carriageway. In this variant of the amusement ride according to the invention, pipes 6 or a slab 7 or rails or strips or similar constructions are arranged over the carriageway in parallel to the carriageway of the attraction route, which run in parallel at a defined distance to the carriageway of the attraction route. In accordance with this variant, the vehicle 3 is equipped with a roll bar or roll cage 5 at the top side of which retaining means and/or leading means 4 are arranged, which, in accordance with these embodiments, correspondingly interact with retaining and/or guide means 6, 7 of the attraction route 2 after they thread between the zone 1 and the attraction route 2 in the transition area and/or engage into one another or lean onto one another. In FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, this is achieved by means of rolling elements 4, which are attached on the roll cage of the vehicle and are located in the entry area into the attraction route at the parallel to the carriageway slab 7 or are arranged quite narrowly separated from this. When passing through the attraction route, which is designed, for example, as a looping 16, these rolling elements prevent a falling down of the vehicle moving upside-down in the case of a vehicle speed that is too slow in the case of a lack of contact pressure on the carriageway. In this case, the rolling elements 4 come into contact with the parallel, inner slab in the looping and the vehicle passes through a part of the looping on the roller elements 4 along the parallel, inner slab 7 until the looping ultimately passes through, and the vehicle continues on its wheels 10 on the route 2 and exits from the attraction route and/or is threaded by the parallel slab ends at the exit point. In a variant of this embodiment in the FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, a version with rolling elements 4 is shown, which have a centre groove and/or recess in the shape of a coil. This retaining means and/or leading means 4 designed in this way, also being arranged on the roll bar and/or roll cage 5 of the vehicle, are threaded into pipes running parallel to the attraction route upon driving in from the zone 1 into the attraction route 2 during the journey. Even with this variant, after acceleration on the first designated section of the attraction route, a safe passage through a looping and/or screw and/or spiral or similar is possible. In this variant, the vehicle is also optimally kept on the track during the journey without the driver's intervention, which, in the case of the variant with the resting rolling elements in accordance with FIG. 2 to FIG. 4. can be supported with sliding slabs arranged laterally on the wheel ends.
[0056] In FIG. 6, a particularly preferred embodiment of a vehicle 3 is shown, in which the retaining means and/or leading means 4 are designed as cylindrical, preferably rotatably mounted and/or, in accordance with one variant, also propelled bolt elements or wheels or tyres, which are arranged approximately in the centre with relation to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, each being stable on the left and right side, if necessary, equipped with a spring-loaded bearing and/or a pressing device. As can be easily recognized in FIG. 7 easily, these retaining means and/or leading means 4 arranged on the vehicle are arranged above the wheels 10 of the vehicle. In this embodiment of the vehicle, the versions of the route of the attraction route 2 in accordance with FIG. 8 to FIG. 13. In the FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, a variant is shown, in which strip elements, rails or profiles 11 are arranged in parallel over the route of the attraction route 2 on the right and the left respectively, which follow the route of the route section of the attraction route accordingly and are designed to be at a defined parallel distance. Thereby, the retaining means and/or leading means 4 arranged on the vehicle 3 is/are arranged on the vehicle in a position above the wheels 10, wherein the distance between the carriageway 2 and the underside of the parallel-guided profile elements 11 is designed to be adapted to one other, so that the vehicle is well guided in this intermediate space, meaning the wheels, at a sufficiently high speed of the vehicle, stay in contact with the track when passing through the attraction route, for example, a looping and the retaining means and/or leading means 4 designed as bolt elements or cylindrical turning parts or tyres/wheels support this travel accordingly.
[0057] In one variant, these just barely do not come into contact with the guide profile 11 with their orbital surface, however, in the preferred variant, these are spring-mounted and are slightly pushed down during threading in order to ensure good guidance or a hold during the journey through the attraction. In a further preferred variant, these retaining means and/or leading means designed as bolt elements or cylindrical turning parts are also propelled, which is preferably done by direct coupling with the drive wheels and/or at the drive axle accordingly running in the opposing direction.
[0058] In the event of insufficient speed and the falling of the vehicle from the carriageway or chute, the retaining means and/or leading means 4 on the vehicle come into contact with the parallel retaining means and/or guide means 11 following the route and the vehicle passes through the remaining route on these retaining means and/or leading means 4 on the vehicle 3 that are designed as bolt elements or rotary cylinders or wheels/tyres. In addition, according to one variant, the retaining means and/or leading means on the vehicle that are designed as bolt elements or rotary cylinders or wheels/tyres are designed with a ring band 9 on the side facing the vehicle respectively, whereby the vehicle is better kept in the land after its threading and continuing to follow of the journey through the attraction route as is shown in FIG. 10. In the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the vehicle is equipped with suitable gliding means and/or sliding surfaces 14, preferably at outer edges of the vehicle and/or a bumper or a bumper frame in order be held and guided in the lane in an optimized manner. These gliding means and/or sliding surfaces can also be designed in variants as rollers, rollers or other bearings and are intended, in particular, for routes with lateral boundaries.
[0059] In another preferred embodiment in accordance with FIG. 11 to FIG. 13, the attraction route is designed as two vertically positioned U-profiles 12, which are arranged parallel to each other at a distance comprising at least the track width of the vehicle, and map and/or describe the course of the route. The vehicle drives with its wheels 10 into the two parallel erected U-profiles 12 arranged in parallel, wherein the wheels rest on the corresponding lower limb 13 arranged in this way. The width of the installed U-profile is significantly larger than the diameter of the wheels of the vehicle, whereby the vehicle only rests on the underlying limb in the entry area of the erected U-profile and could fall off this course in the case of a rollover. The retaining means and/or leading means 4 arranged on the vehicle 3 is arranged on the vehicle in a position above the wheels 10, wherein the distance between the lower leg 13 and the upper leg of the U-profile 12 to each other determines the height of the retaining means and/or leading means arranged on the vehicle, which is/are designed accordingly so that the vehicle is well guided in this intermediate space, meaning the wheels, at a sufficiently high speed of the vehicle during the journey of the attraction route, for example a looping, keep in contact with the carriageway, flush with the first lower limb of the vertically erected U-profile and engage the retaining means and/or leading means 4 designed as bolt elements or cylindrical turning parts or wheels/tyres accordingly. The lateral guidance of the vehicle in the lane is supported by the ring band 9 at the retaining and/or leading means 4, as well as the sliding means attached to the vehicle and/or sliding surfaces 14.
[0060] Another variant can be seen in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, in which four instead of two retaining and/or leading means 4 are used on the vehicle 3, which again supports the lane of the vehicle, especially during the upside-down travel. In addition, it is possible to simply propel the retaining and/or leading means by pushing the retaining and/or leading means to the drive wheels, thereby supporting upside-down travel; this, in particular, if these retaining and/or leading means are coated or rubberized or designed as wheels or tyres. According to another alternative embodiment in accordance with FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, four retaining and/or leading means 4 are used, which are designed as coil-like means and are arranged on the vehicle in such a way that these engage into or onto a pipe construction parallel to the line. These coil-like retaining and/or leading means are fixed to the vehicle with a suitable pressure device and allow a very stable and secure passage of the vehicle through the attraction route. A further variant is shown in the FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, in which outwardly protruding retaining and/or leading means 4 are arranged on the axle or on the wheels 10 of the vehicles, which protrude beyond the track width of the vehicle and which correspondingly engage into corresponding retaining and/or guide means 12 of the route 2. With this variant, it is, in particular, possible to create adapter devices for wheels, by means of which the required retaining and/or leading means can be attached to each vehicle and thus even journeys through the attraction routes with one's own vehicle are possible. The vehicle itself is precisely held in the lane by appropriate means and cover slabs 18 additionally protect the wheels and/or tyres attached to the vehicle from damage in the event of contact of the wheels with the road limits during the journey.
[0061] In FIG. 23 to FIG. 27, embodiments are shown in which the retaining and/or leading means 4 are arranged on lateral slabs 18, protruding over the track width of the vehicle, stably connected to the supporting structure of the vehicle. These retaining and/or leading means 4 outwardly protruding in such way, which extend beyond the track width of the vehicle correspondingly engage into the retaining and/or guide means 11, 12 of the route 2. An advantage of this variant is that the additional rollers on the side slabs sit so low that the two U-profiles (which result from the side slabs) can remain very low. This does not give the impression that you cannot drive freely. Furthermore, it is advantageous that the U-profile is designed in such a way that the lateral bumpers of the vehicle also fit into the U-profile, meaning that one does not recognize at first glance that it is a go-kart specially built for the looping passage. Rather, the observer perceives a normal go-kart, with which one can race as usual, but also through loops, screws, etc. The bumper of the vehicle is preferably bent upwards at the front and back to prevent the bumper from sitting on the steel frame of the lanes during when driving through the looping. At the same time, the high bending level of the bumper at the front helps to integrate the additional central wheel in front. In a further embodiment, the bumper is also bent in the middle between the wheels of the vehicle downwards or/and upwards so that a looping passage can be carried out without any problems.
[0062] Next is, as can be recognized in FIG. 23 to FIG. 27, the vehicle in its front, lower area equipped with at least one rolling element 4′, which runs with a guide attachment 2′ along the attraction route as a looping, preferably arranged in the middle. In one version, a guide strip, equipped as a stable attachment or rail element, is arranged approximately in the middle of the route, thereby following the route section. Upon entry of the vehicle, the roller element now hits this guide as the guide strip, whereby the guide strip along the route section is slightly ascending, designed in such a way that at least one of the front wheels of the vehicle is raised in sections and only completely reopens onto the carriageway when exiting the attraction route. This minimizes the influence of uncontrolled and/or incorrect steering movements, which, in such a case, can lead to increased friction or unintentional blocking and thus an insufficient speed for the passage through the looping. In an alternative embodiment, the central guide attachment can also be designed as a chute and, if necessary, coupled with the steering. Thereby, when looping, only three out of four wheels are located on the lanes across long routes. At times, only two wheels can rest on the carriageway, in particular, if the leading roller attached to the front of the vehicle is also located on the guide slab or the guide chute under the roller or if, for example, before and after the vertex of a loops significantly changes the geometry of the looping. The two additional rollers 4 are each attached on the side of the go-kart so that the wheel, which is located directly at the lifting wheel of the go-kart, is pressed when being lifted at the top against the guide (in the form of the profile running parallel to the lane, such as a flat iron), thereby stabilizing the go-kart in its entirety. In this respect, the guides, which lie parallel to the carriageway above the rollers, are not located directly on the rollers, but have distance to the rollers. The following applies: The narrower the radius of the carriageway, the greater the distance between the guide slabs above the rollers, since a wheel stands out from the carriageway, the narrower the radius.
[0063] In all variants of the attraction routes with lateral boundaries and or profile guides on the sides, the lateral guides for improving the sliding properties are optionally equipped with suitable sliding surfaces or rollers or bearings. On the one hand, this leads to the prevention of excessive braking of the vehicle and prevents the vehicles from being bent in the attraction route and, on the other hand, allows a quieter and lower-noise passage of the attraction routes with the vehicles.
[0064] For example, the situation of an attraction route is shown in FIG. 20 to FIG. 22, which is designed as a looping 15, in which a first vehicle is already at the passage through the looping and another is waiting in the threading area in front of the acceleration route to the attraction route. Basically, the embodiment of an amusement ride according to the invention can also comprise only the actual attraction route and this, such as a looping for example, can be driven through in both directions with a vehicle.
[0065] For this purpose, there could be turning devices at the beginning and/or end of an attraction route, with which the vehicle can be rotated directly after passing through the attraction route in order to be able to pass through the same attraction immediately after passing through the attraction again in the opposite direction. In this way, attractions could be operated as an amusement ride without the need for a race track for the vehicles. The turning device could be carried out after entry of the vehicle, for example, with stepper motors controlled by sensors. However, such turning devices could also be located at the end of a series of adjacent attractions. The vehicles would then pass through a plurality of attractions before entering the described turning device where they can be turned around.
[0066] In a particularly preferred embodiment, in the turning device there are means of power transmission between the drive wheels of the vehicle and the turning mechanism of the turning device, like two rollers for each of the drive wheels of the vehicle respectively, between which the vehicle drives in with its drive wheels at the end of an attraction route in order to turn the vehicle. By moving the drive wheels in this state of the vehicle retracted into a mount, the rollers are propelled, which, in turn, rotate the turning device by means of transmissions or a gearbox so that the vehicle can be moved out of the rollers again after fully rotating and can enter the attraction route in the opposite direction. For this purpose, the rollers under the drive wheels are locked after complete rotation and locking of the turning device.
[0067] Having described preferred versions of the invention in relation to the enclosed drawings, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to these exact embodiments and that various modifications and modifications to it by a person skilled in the art can be carried out without deviating from the scope of the invention as defined in the enclosed claims.
