EP1757348B1 - Device for lifting a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The boats or vehicles descend along a pathway (1) from an elevated departure point (10) essentially through the force of gravity to an arrival point (6). The boats are lifted from the arrival point to the departure point again by means of a vertically driven lifting device. The lifting device is embodied as a revolving tower (3) fixed to the ground on whose exterior are duel running lifting platforms (4,5) to take the boats from the arrival point on the routeway, to lift them along the revolving tower and to deliver the boats at the departure point.

Description

The invention relates to a device for lifting vehicles, in particular boats or the like, a ride for amusement according to the preamble of claim 1.

On amusement grounds, roller coasters that include rail-guided vehicles that are brought to a high altitude by means of an inclined elevator and then moved forward essentially by no-load gravity alone, are moved back to the starting point via a multi-lane railway. The vehicles can run on single or double lanes, these are usually runways.

There are also known downhill tracks, in which the vehicles are guided in U-shaped channels, whereby it is also possible to realize slides or water courses with running boats.

From the DE20316695 is a lifting device for Fahrzgastträger known, which is designed as a bottom rotatably mounted turret.

From the DE 101 60 039 For example, there is known an amusement ride for moving vehicles along a substantially track-guided path, which includes a lifting device for lifting the vehicles to an elevated height, in which the lifting device is designed as a rail-guided inclined lift and has a carrying device with which the vehicles, while maintaining their horizontal Orientation of a first portion of the web are removable and can be walked on a raised second track portion which extends laterally offset in the horizontal direction to the first portion of the web. With this device, it is possible to arrange the feed section of the web and the subsequent inclined elevator directly parallel to the departure section of the web. However, an inclined elevator requires a relatively large floor area and the inclined elevator is not designed for large capacities.

From the DE 198 16 768 is a device for transporting roller coaster car or the like for rides in the respective starting position for a ride known as a lift assembly with two juxtaposed in the Substantially vertically extending support columns is formed with corresponding rails, the support columns in the upper and lower regions can each accommodate only one lifting frame, while the rails are offset in the central region of the support columns each outwardly such that in this section two lifting frame in opposite direction of travel can be moved simultaneously.

Although this reduces the floor area required, the lift arrangement is relatively complicated and prone to failure while offering no added attraction to the user of the track.

The invention has for its object to provide a device for lifting vehicles, especially boats or the like, in which the lift assembly used requires little space, which is simple and already offers the passenger during the driveway a pleasure attraction.

This object is achieved by the invention defined in claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in subclaims.

The device according to the invention for lifting vehicles, in particular boats or the like, of a ride for amusement starts from a device in which the vehicles are transferred along a guideway from an elevated place of departure substantially by gravity movement to an arrival place, and the vehicles from the place of arrival to Departure be raised along a vertically guided lifting device.

According to the invention, the lifting device is designed as a rotatably mounted rotary tower on the bottom, are arranged in particular on its outer side in pairs parallel to each other lifting platforms for receiving vehicles from the arrival of the guideway for lifting along the turret and for delivering the vehicles to the departure.

The inventively mounted on the bottom side turret is rotated as far as the driveway of a lifting platform to the required angle that the Hubplattform at the departure directly to the track connects, so that the vehicles can be delivered directly to the track without loss of time. Furthermore, the lifting platforms each have a turntable and at the lower end of the guideway, the vehicles Anke up raising lifting conveyor is ansgeschlossen.

If space permits at the site of the device according to the invention, the lifting platform can be rotated during the driveway over larger angles, z. B. more than 360 °, d. H. perform a spiraling upward movement, so that the pleasure of attraction is already effected in the driveway of a vehicle.

Due to the paired arrangement of the lifting platforms, the respective other lifting platform, which moves in the downward movement of a lifting platform in the downward direction, forms a counterweight for the upwardly traveling lifting platform, so that the energy required to drive the lifting platform is low.

The drive of the lifting platforms is preferably realized by a cable pulling device in which the lifting platforms are suspended on a guided over an upper roller rope, similar to a paternoster elevator.

As an alternative drive means also an electric, pneumatic, hydraulic or Kettenzugantrieb can be used. A gear drive can also be used.

Preferably, the lifting platforms are moved up and down synchronously under weight balance by an opposing lifting platform.

For the transfer of arriving at the arrival of vehicles on a lifting platform according to the invention, an inclined, in particular belt conveyor, used, which absorbs the boats below the water surface in the formation of the device as a waterway and carried out obliquely upwards out of the water. From the belt conveyor, the boats are preferably transferred directly to a lifting platform. They can still be moved substantially horizontally at the point of arrival between the belt conveyor and the lifting platform by means of a roller conveyor. At the upper departure point, the boats are preferably between Lifting platform and guideway guided over a runway to facilitate a facilitated transition between lifting platform and guideway.

The lifting platforms can be lifted freely suspended, in particular in cable drive, but they are preferably raised rail-like similar to an elevator guide. This can also be realized in elevator drives known fuse elements in a simple manner.

The drive of the turret may preferably be designed according to the drive of a slewing crane. In a further embodiment of the invention, it is also possible to design the turret with two upper opposing arms, on which the lifting platforms can be freely suspended up and down. Depending on the length of the arms, the lifting platforms are therefore moved up and down with an appropriate distance from the turret. It is only necessary to ensure that both in the upper and lower position of the lifting platforms a locking of the lifting platforms relative to the departure and arrival point can be produced to deliver the vehicles safely from the lifting platform on the guideway or to record from the guideway.

Fig. 1

eine Seitenansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Vergnügungsbahn,

Fig. 2

eine gegenüber Fig. 1 um 90° gedrehte Seitenansicht,

Fig. 3

eine vergrößerte Ansicht eines Drehturms, und

Fig. 4

eine Aufsicht auf eine Anordnung von Drehturm und Führungsbahn.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment. Show it:

Fig. 1

a side view of an amusement ride according to the invention,

Fig. 2

a side view rotated by 90 ° with respect to FIG. 1,

Fig. 3

an enlarged view of a turret, and

Fig. 4

a view of an arrangement of turret and guideway.

Fig. 1 shows a side view of the amusement device with a multi-lane track running from a departure point 10 to an arrival point 6, the lane being passed through an entrance building 2 where passengers can get off the boats or board a boat.

The guideway is formed as a channel and extends at a relatively shallow angle down. Through the channel, a water flow is guided, on which the boats are led floating down.

Although the embodiment describes a waterway, the invention is not limited to a waterway, but is also particularly for rail-guided "dry" trains, for. B. roller coasters, usable.

The arriving at the destination 6 vehicles are raised by means of a vertically guided lifting device, wherein they are simultaneously rotated about the axis of the lifting device, which is designed as a turret 3. The lifting device 4, which receives boats on the right side, is thereby rotated during the driveway along the turret 3 so that it arrives at the departure point 10 on the left side of the turret and can deliver the boat directly into the guideway.

Fig. 2 shows an amusement ride in rotated by 90 ° view. In this case, a lifting platform 4 is shown in a middle position along the vertical height of the turret.

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of the turret 3, which shows two opposite lifting platforms 4, 5 in the respective starting positions. While the first lifting platform 4 can pick up a boat in the situation shown, at the same time the second lifting platform 5, which is in the upper position, can deliver a boat into the guideway 1.

4 shows a plan view of the amusement ride. At the point of arrival 6, a boat 7 is shown, which is then lifted by means of a slanted, in particular belt conveyor 8, slightly obliquely upwards out of the water, to transfer it to a roller conveyor 9. This is a powered roller conveyor that carries the boat on the first lifting platform 4 horizontally on. The roller conveyor 9 facilitates the transfer of a boat 7 on the first lifting platform 4, when the belt conveyor 8 is arranged relatively obliquely. With a slight tilt arrangement can be dispensed with the roller conveyor 9. The belt conveyor can also be designed as a roller or friction wheel conveyor or in other suitable for this purpose design.

The lifting platforms also include a runway to transfer the boats on the lifting platform in a safe rest position. The runways of the lifting platforms can also be mounted on a turntable of the lifting platforms to allow a necessary or intentional rotation of the boats on the lifting platform.

The transferred to the first lifting platform 4 boat is then transported vertically along the outside of the turret 3, in particular by means of cable rail guided upwards. In this case, the turret 3, which is mounted on the bottom side, rotated, so that the lifting platform 4 is pivoted during the upward movement in the direction of the vehicle web 1. It is possible to pivot the lifting platform 4 not only by the illustrated 90 °, but to rotate once or several times 360 ° during the driveway, which further improves the fun. This can also be provided during the driveway insert pauses in order to perform a single or multiple rotation of the lifting platform in such a Hubpause. In an alternative embodiment, the lifting platforms can also be performed on the inside of the turret.

While the first lifting platform 4 is raised, the second lifting platform 5 is simultaneously and synchronously lowered, which forms a counterweight to the lifting platform 4 due to the weight-compensating drive of the lifting platforms.

Once the first lifting platform 4 has reached the upper position immediately adjacent to the departure point 10 of the guideway 1, the corresponding raised boat is transferred to a runway 11 from which it enters the water-bearing channel 1 and then floats down along the channel. The drawing shows a boat 12, which has just been released from a lifting platform.

The Hubplattenformen 4, 5 are driven in pairs. It is also possible, depending on space, other Hubplattformen pairs inside or outside of the To arrange turret, which are driven independently of another pair, however, the loading and unloading of the lifting platforms of each pair is centrally coordinated.

If the lifting platforms are arranged opposite each other on the turret (offset by 180 °) and also the arrival and departure end of the guideway are offset by 180 ° with respect to the turret, the lifting platforms will move upwards and downwards and turn through 180 ° directly at the departure and arrival ends can dock the guideway. At other angular positions, an additional angular rotation of the turret may be required before docking a lifting platform to the track by z. B. first the loaded lifting platform at the upper end of the turret is directed towards the guideway and then the turret is rotated by such an angle that the lower platform is directed towards the arrival end of the guideway to allow loading. The additional angular rotation can be avoided or reduced if the platforms themselves have a turntable, which allows to load the platforms from different directions or to unload in different directions.

If the lifting platforms are sufficiently large with respect to the boats, each lifting platform can accommodate not only one boat but also two or more boats, in particular one row behind the other, which are returned in turn at the point of departure

The device according to the invention makes it possible to lift vehicles of an amusement ride in a confined space with a simultaneous increase in the amusement effect of an energy-economical operation, at the same time achieving an appealing visual appearance of the installation.

reference numeral

1

guideway

2

entry building

3

turret

4

first lifting platform

5

second lifting platform

6

arrival

7

boat

8th

feederhouse

9

roller conveyor

10

Departs

11

runway

12

boat

Claims (8)

1. Device for lifting vehicles, in particular boats (7, 12) or the like, of an amusement park ride, wherein the vehicles are transferred along a guideway (1) from an elevated departure point (10) substantially by gravitational movement to an arrival point (6) and the vehicles are lifted from the arrival point (6) to the departure point (10) by means of a vertically extending lifting device, which takes the form of a revolving tower (3), which is mounted rotatably on the ground and disposed on the side of which are lifting platforms (4, 5), which run in pairs parallel to one another and by means of which vehicles are picked up from the arrival point (6) of the guideway, lifted along the revolving tower (3) and delivered to the departure point (10), characterized in that a slope conveyor (8), in particular a belt conveyor, which lifts the vehicles obliquely upwards, is connected to the bottom end of the guideway (1) in order to transfer the vehicles from the guideway (1) onto a lifting platform (4), and that the lifting platforms (4, 5) each comprise a live ring to enable a rotation of the vehicles on the lifting platform.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lifting platforms (4, 5) are driven by means of a cable hoist, a chain hoist, hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically in such a way that in each case two or more lifting platforms are moved up and down in pairs contradirectionally along the revolving tower (3).
3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the lifting platforms are moved up and down by means of a weight-counterbalancing synchronous drive.
4. Device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the revolving tower (3) during an upward journey of a lifting platform is rotated through a specific angle of rotation, in particular through 90° or a multiple of 90°, preferably 180°.
5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that at the arrival point (6) between slope conveyor (8) and lifting platform (4) a roller conveyor (9) is disposed.
6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that at the departure point (10) between lifting platform (5) and guideway (1) a rolling track (11) is disposed.
7. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guideway (1) is a waterway and the vehicles are drive-free boats (7, 12).
8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the revolving tower (3) has external or internal guide rails for non-positive guidance of the lifting platforms.

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