Roller coaster vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a roller coaster vehicle guided along a rail structure extending in a two- or three-dimensional plane and having at least one passenger seat (3), which is fastened to a chassis (2) guided on the rail structure, wherein the passenger seat (3) is fastened to the chassis (2) by way of an axis of rotation (16, 17) extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the rotation of the passenger seat (3) can be influenced manually during the ride of the roller coaster vehicle. According to the invention, a rotation about the axis of rotation (16, 17) can be influenced by the force of an airflow along adjustable air guiding wings (18, 19) on the vehicle.

Claims

1. A roller coaster vehicle which is guided along a rail structure extending in three dimensions, the roller coaster having a series of chassis connected to one another in an articulated manner by means of longitudinal supports and coupling connections and having at least one passenger seat (3), which is fastened to a chassis (2) guided on the rail structure, wherein the passenger seat (3) is fastened to the chassis (2) by way of an axis of rotation (16, 17) essentially extending fixedly in the movement direction offset parallel to the rail structure, and the rotation of the passenger seat (3) can be influenced manually by the passenger on the passenger seat (3) during the ride of the roller coaster vehicle, wherein a rotation about the axis of rotation (16, 17) can be controlled by the force of an airflow along adjustable air guiding wings (18, 19) on the seat, characterized in that at least two rotatable passenger seats (14, 15) are mounted to the chassis (2) in cross direction of the vehicle, offset against each other such that one passenger seat is positioned on each side of the rail structure, each of the passenger seats being controllable independently of each other, and wherein the passenger seats are face toward the movement direction and their axis of rotation is essentially parallel to the movement direction of the vehicle; the rotation can be set or limited depending on the traveled line section; the rotation is assisted by means of a servo drive; the vehicle is provided with sensors for determining the vehicle's location and that sensors are provided for ascertaining the end point of a ride; and the seats are rotatable about an axis of rotation (16, 17) which extends above the center of gravity of the seat when occupied by a passenger (25) and below the head of the passenger, and in that the passenger seats occupy a suspended position when in the resting state.

2. The roller coaster vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the passenger seats (3, 14, 15) are able to carry out one or more rollovers about said axis of rotation, and that the passenger seat or seats (3,14,15) occupy a suspended position in an initial position of the air guiding wing (18, 19).

3. The roller coaster vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that the air guiding wings (18, 19) are biased into the basic position by spring force.

4. The roller coaster vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle seats (3, 14, 15) are suspended on the chassis (2) by means of an intermediate support by means of a rotation axis extending in cross direction to the movement direction, so as to swing.

5. The roller coaster vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that the swinging of the vehicle seats on the rotation axis extending in cross direction can be adjusted by means of an air guiding wing (26) extending parallel to said rotation axis.

6. The roller coaster vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the passenger seats are returned to their initial position when the vehicle has reached the end point of a ride.

Description

(1) The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to an embodiment. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a side view of a roller coaster vehicle in the case of a rectilinear ride,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a roller coaster vehicle of FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a side view of a roller coaster vehicles on a concavely curved section of the track,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a side view of a roller coaster vehicles on a convexly curved section of the track,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a horizontally curved section of the track,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a side view of a vehicle seat, and

(8) FIG. 7 shows a front view of two vehicle seats arranged parallel.

(9) According to FIG. 1 a plurality of seats 3 are in each case fastened to a chassis 2. The chassis 2 are connected to one another in an articulated manner by means of longitudinal supports 4 and coupling connections 5 and run along a rail 1, wherein the seats 3 are arranged in two parallel rows each comprising 6 seats, which are fastened to the respective chassis 2 by means of seat holders 6.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a view corresponding to FIG. 1 in plan view, i.e. rotated about 90 in a vertical plane. The view shows that in each case six seats 3 are arranged on both sides of the rail 1, so that the entire roller coaster vehicle overall contains twelve individual seats. These are located alongside the track 1 in a suspended arrangement, as is illustrated in FIG. 1.

(11) FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the roller coaster vehicle on a convexly curved section of the track with a rail 1, wherein it is clear that the individual seats and chassis are connected to one another in an articulated manner by means of the longitudinal supports 4 and the couplings 5.

(12) FIG. 4 shows a side view of a roller coaster vehicle on a concavely curved section of the track. The roller coaster vehicle can therefore be operated both in concave and also convex narrow curves.

(13) FIG. 5 shows a view with a horizontally curved section of the track, in which it is clear that narrow lateral bends can also be managed, provided that the working space of a seat 3 does not impede the corresponding adjacent working space of an adjacent seat.

(14) FIG. 6 shows a side view of an individual seat 3, which is fastened by means of the seat holder 6 to a chassis 2 which runs on the rail 1 of the rollercoaster, which is only illustrated schematically. The chassis 2 includes wheel sets which are known per se and engage around the running rails from above and below as well as laterally. The upper carrier wheel 7 substantially bears the weight of the chassis 2 and the seat 3, whilst the supporting wheel 9 serves from below for support against lifting off of the seat arrangement from the track. The supporting wheel 23 is responsible for the lateral security.

(15) The seat 3 is fastened to the seat holder 6 by means of a substantially free running axis of rotation 17 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The seat has the usual personal safety equipment 24 for a person 25. Thus, the seat 3 is pivotable about the axis 17 in a plane transversely with respect to the direction of travel.

(16) FIG. 7 shows the seat arrangement in a front view. The route of the rollercoaster structure is formed substantially by a triangular frame structure with an upper main rail 20 and two lower running rails 13, 21. The seat unit is mounted by means of a wheel set mounting on the running rails 13 and 21. The wheel set consists of pairs of upper carrier wheels 7 and 8, pairs of lower supporting wheels 9 and 10 as well as lateral supporting wheels 22 and 23. Thus all the degrees of freedom of the chassis 2 are fixed on the rail structure.

(17) The transverse support 11, the lateral ends of which merge into the seat holders 6 and 12, which are directed downwards, is fastened to the lower end of the chassis 2. The actual seats are fastened to the lower ends of the seat holders 6 and 12 by means of the axes of rotation 16 and 17 oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The seats can be pivoted about the axes of rotation 16 and 17 or they can also be turned around, by more than 360.

(18) Since the center of rotation of the axes of rotation 16 and 17 is located more or less above or close to the center of gravity, which is constituted by the seat and the person located thereon, the seat in the rest state hangs downwards or in the centrifugal force direction, wherein if its movement is not braked it can also pivot back and forth. In the event of lateral forces, such as for example centrifugal forces, which occur in horizontal or spiral curves of the rollercoaster, the seats are thus strongly deflected laterally.

(19) The deflection can be controlled in a special way by a manual interaction. For this purpose, each passenger seat has a manual control means, for example in the form of a joystick, by means of which two air guiding wings 18 and 19, attached laterally to the seat, can be tilted upwards or downwards. The air guiding wings are fastened at their front or rear transverse end to a transverse axis of the seat and are moved synchronously in opposite directions by means of a lever linkage or cable hoists. If the joystick is deflected in a lateral direction, one air guiding wing moves upwards and the other air guiding wing moves downwards, so that air flowing along the air guiding wing exerts a force on the air guiding wing which is transmitted to the seat. A pivoting of the seat is caused by its free mounting by means of the axes of rotation 16 or 17. The joystick, the lever linkage or the air guiding wings are biased by means of a spring arrangement into the rest position, so that when the joystick is released this effects a return of the air guiding wing into the starting position.

(20) If the pivoting or rotation of the seat is not limited due to stops, rollovers can be performed during the ride. As a result, however, unauthorized situations could occur in specific ride sections, so that measures are provided in order to provide a limitation of the rotation or pivoting to for example 20 or 45 in these route sections. For this purpose, sensors are provided on the seats or the roller coaster vehicle, and on the approach to a corresponding route section these sensors ensure, by interaction with transmitters/receivers or mechanical controls provided on the relevant line sections, that the pivoting movement of the individual seats is limited or the seats are transferred to a specific safe position. After leaving the critical route section the movements can also be released again. Accordingly, a resetting of the air guiding wings takes place as the roller coaster vehicle approaches the end point of the route, in order to ensure a rest position of the seat for passengers to embark and disembark. Likewise, a resetting of the seat can take place during a slow ride and thus when there is insufficient pressure on the air guiding wings.

(21) In FIG. 7, in the right-hand illustration, it is shown that the passenger seat can occupy a number of different positions which can be reached during the pivoting or rotation by means of the air guiding wings.

(22) Although the fundamental principle of the invention consists of a manual control during pivoting or rotation of passenger seats, the rotation or pivoting can also be supported by a motor-powered drive, in particular by a servo control. This makes it possible to provide the pivoting or rotation even on those route section regions in which the roller coaster vehicle still has not achieved sufficient speed in order to cause a rotation by influencing the airflow due to adjusted air guiding wings. The motor-controlled movement can be triggered by the passenger himself or can also be carried out by a central control unit directly or under program control, so that individual seats, seats arranged in groups or also all seats can be centrally pivoted or moved into the normal position.

(23) If the seat holders 6 and 12 are not constructed rigidly in one piece, but have an axial rotary coupling, it can also be made possible to perform a rotation of the vehicle about an axis extending vertically relative to the vehicle. Such a rotation can also be brought about by an airflow, by the use of an air guiding wing 26 which is configured in the form of a rudder on the vehicle and can likewise be connected by means of a linkage to the joystick. The direction of movement of the joystick for the aileron at a 90 angle to the direction of movement for the rudder. Also, when a rudder is used suitable measures should be implemented in order to be able to maintain safety over the entire route. A further possibility for movement can be achieved if a pendulum movement of the seat about a horizontal or vertical axis is permitted and/or carried out in a controlled manner.

(24) With the invention different movements can be controlled by the passenger interactively and independently. The seat arrangements can be configured differently. Open gondolas or also closed gondolas can be used. If the section configuration of a rollercoaster is selected so that in specific line sections the seats are moved past but relatively close to an obstacle, such as a pool of water, it can be left to the passenger whether to touch the water for example with the feet or also to avoid the obstacle. Avoidance maneuvers can also be motor-controlled, in that the additionally provided motor-powered control for the region of the special route section predetermines a special position of the seat, for example a horizontal position.

(25) The vehicle is driven by means of friction wheels, linear motors or chains, as is usual for rollercoasters or switchbacks or mountain and valley railways in specific line sections, or by self-propulsion of the vehicle.

(26) The seats of the vehicle can also be equipped with VR spectacles by which the passengers can be provided with a ride through virtual spaces.

LIST OF

(27) 1 rail 2 chassis 3 seat 4 longitudinal support 5 coupling 6 seat holder 7 carrier wheel 8 carrier wheel 9 supporting wheel 10 supporting wheel 11 transverse support 12 seat holder 13 running rail 14 seat 15 seat 16 horizontal axis of rotation 17 horizontal axis of rotation 18 air guiding wing 19 air guiding wing 20 main rail 21 running rail 22 supporting wheel 23 supporting wheel 24 personal safety equipment 25 person 26 air guiding wing