JP2003210853A - Ferris wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ferris wheel which makes passengers feel comfortableness in cages while eliminating special attentions to the designing of cage body link parts. <P>SOLUTION: In this ferris wheel, there are arranged a circular fixed ring 2 comprising a rigid body and a rotary ring comprising a rigid body and the fixed ring 2 is arranged in the air by a support means 1 while the rotary ring 3 is supported being allowed to encircle along the fixed ring 2 by a power supplied from a drive source. Cage bodies 5 are mounted on the rotary ring 3 for passengers to ride therein. An rail for encircling is arranged continuously on any one of the fixed ring 2 and the rotary ring 3 and a feeding means is provided on the other in contact with the rail for encircling. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ferris wheel installed in an amusement park or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional ferris wheel has a rotating shaft at its center,
The connecting member extends radially from the rotating shaft, an annular frame connected to the connecting member, and a cage attached to the annular frame. The rotating shaft is rotated by the power supplied from the driving means, and with this, the cage moves up and down while rotating around the rotating shaft through the annular frame. You can enjoy the surrounding view by riding this cage.

Recently, various new ideas have been developed for playground equipment installed in amusement parks, etc., and various ferris wheels have been proposed. By the way, according to the above structure, since the rotating shaft and the connecting member are required inside the annular frame, the design is restricted. For example, a play equipment such as a roller coaster or a monorail is arranged inside the annular frame. , I couldn't take a novel arrangement.

In view of the above problems, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-3284
The Ferris wheel shown in 19 is proposed (the main part is shown in FIG. 5). This is an elliptical or elliptical fixed frame body 101.
On the other hand, when the cage support frame 102 runs, the cage 103 attached to the cage support frame 102 causes the fixed frame body 1 to move.
It rotates along 01. In this ferris wheel, since the rotating shaft and the connecting material which are required in the conventional ferris wheel are unnecessary, for example, another play equipment such as a roller coaster can be installed inside the fixed frame body 101. It can be designed freely.

[0005]

However, in the structure of this ferris wheel, the force due to the weight of the cage support frame 102 and the cage 103 concentrates on the connecting portion 104 between the cage support frames 102. In particular, the cage support frame 102 is the fixed frame body 10.
When located at the top of 1, this force is maximum. If the connecting portion 104 breaks, it causes a serious accident such as dropping of the cage 103. Therefore, it is necessary to design the connecting portion 104 with a sufficient margin for the maximum value of this force. Further, a power transmission plate 105 is provided on the fixed frame body 101 side of the cage support frame 102, and by contacting the drive wheel 106 provided on the fixed frame 101, the power transmission plate 105 from the drive wheel 106 is removed. Power is transmitted. However, this power transmission plate 105
Is provided independently for each cage support frame 102, vibration is generated when the contact with the drive wheels 106 is cut off at the break of the power transmission plate 105, and passengers riding on the cage 103 are vibrated. It could be uncomfortable.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a ferris wheel that does not require special attention to the design of the cage connecting portion and allows passengers to comfortably ride on the cage. It is an issue.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention of the present application is to provide a fixed ring 2 made of a rigid body and a rotating ring 3 made of a rigid body, which is a circular ring of a perfect circle in a front view. The fixing ring 2 has a fixing ring supporting means 1
The rotary ring 3 is arranged in the air by
It is rotatably supported along the fixed ring 2 by the circling support means 34, and circulates along the fixed ring 2 by the power supplied from the drive source. Provided is a ferris wheel having a cage 5 attached thereto. In the first aspect of the invention, the fixed ring 2 and the rotating ring 3 have rigidity over the entire circumference. Therefore, in the case of the conventional structure as shown in FIG. 5, it was necessary to increase the strength of the connecting portion 104 between the cage support frames 102, but the rotating ring 3 according to the present invention is even in the circumferential direction. Since it has a sufficient strength, the connecting portion itself does not exist, and a high degree of safety can be realized, so that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems as in the past.

A second invention of the present application is the ferris wheel according to the first invention, wherein the orbiting support means 34 is provided on either one of the fixed ring 2 and the rotary ring 3. I will provide a. In the second aspect of the present invention, when the fixing ring 2 is provided with the circling support means 34,
The orbiting support means 34 can be arranged such that the upper half of the circumference mainly bears the weight, and the orbiting support means 34 can be efficiently arranged. Further, in the case where the rotating ring 3 is provided with the orbiting support means 34, the rotating ring 3 can be sequentially rotated at the time of maintenance, and it is possible to work downward, and the maintainability can be made excellent.

Further, the third invention of the present application is the above-mentioned first or second invention.
In the present invention, one of the fixed ring 2 and the rotary ring 3 is provided with the orbiting rail 24 without interruption, and the other is provided with the orbiting rail 24.
There is provided a ferris wheel characterized in that it is provided with an orbital supporting means 34 in contact with. In the third invention,
Since the orbiting rail 24 is provided without interruption, the power transmission plate 10 which has been a problem in the conventional ferris wheel.
The vibration of the cage due to the break of 5 does not occur, and the passengers on the cage 5 are not made uncomfortable.

Further, a fourth invention of the present application is the above-mentioned first to third inventions.
In any one of the above aspects, there is provided a ferris wheel characterized in that the inner diameter of the rotating ring 3 is larger than the outer diameter of the fixed ring 2. In the fourth invention, the fixing ring 2
When the diameters are the same, a larger number of cages 5 can be installed without difficulty as compared with the case where the rotary ring 3 is provided inside.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of an embodiment of a ferris wheel according to the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view showing a cross section in the same side view.

The ferris wheel according to the present invention is as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and mainly comprises a fixed ring support means 1, a fixed ring 2, a rotating ring 3, a cage support frame 4, and a cage 5. , Consisting of drive means.

The fixing ring support means 1 is a support column as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in this example, and for example, one end 1 thereof.
1 is installed on the ground surface and extends upward, and the other end 12 is connected to the fixed ring 2. As a result, the fixed ring 2 is coordinated in the air. The fixing ring supporting means 1 can support the weight of the fixing ring 2, the rotating ring 3, the cage 5, etc., and has a structure having sufficient strength so as not to be destroyed or deformed by an earthquake or a strong wind. Is required. In addition, one end 11 of the fixing ring supporting means 1
Is not limited to being installed on the ground surface, but may be installed on the roof or wall surface of a building.
Further, the fixing ring supporting means 1 may be in the form of a metal fitting for fixing the fixing ring 2 directly installed on the ground,
It may be implemented in various forms.

The fixing ring 2 is a circular ring of a perfect circle, which is closed in a front view, and is made of a rigid body. This fixing ring 2
Is an inner ring 21, an outer ring 22, and a connecting breath 23 in this example.
And has a structure capable of sufficiently supporting the weight of the fixed ring 2, the rotating ring 3, the weight of the cage 5, and the like. In this example, the rotary ring 3 is arranged outside the fixed ring 2 in the radial direction. Further, in the present example, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer race 22 of the fixed ring 2 is provided with the orbiting rail 24 for rotating the rotating ring 3 in the circumferential direction without interruption. The rotating ring 3 can be rotated by coming into contact with the orbiting supporting means 34 such as a roller provided in the. As described above, in the conventional ferris wheel, the power transmission plate 105 is provided independently for each cage 103 as shown in FIG. 5, and the cage 103 vibrates due to the break of the power transmission plate 105. It was a problem to do. On the contrary,
In the ferris wheel according to the present invention, since the orbiting rail 24 is provided in the circumferential direction without interruption, the conventional problem does not occur and the passengers on the cage 5 are made uncomfortable. Never.

The rotary ring 3, like the fixed ring 2, is also a circular ring of a perfect circle when viewed from the front, and is made of a rigid body. In this example, the rotating ring 3 is composed of an inner ring 31, an outer ring 32, and a connecting breath 33, and has a structure capable of sufficiently supporting the weight of the rotating ring 3 and the weight of the cage 5 and the like.

In this embodiment, inside the rotating ring 3, there is provided a circling support means 34 which is arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction. This orbital supporting means 34 is
In this example, the roller is made of a rigid body, and as shown in FIG. 3A, it is located in three directions with respect to the orbiting rail 24 and can rotate while holding the orbiting rail 24. There is. The orbital supporting means 34 of the present invention is not limited to the rollers, and may be variously modified as long as it can rotate the rotating ring 3 while holding the orbiting rail 24 of the fixed ring 2. Can be carried out. Here, regarding the relationship between the orbiting supporting means 34 and a driving means described later, the orbiting supporting means 34 itself may be driven to transmit power to the rotary ring 3, or the orbiting supporting means 34 may be used. It is also possible to use a different means to transmit power to the rotary ring 3 without driving itself. In the former case, all or a part of the orbiting support means 34 may be driven.

A cage 5 for mounting passengers is attached to the rotating ring 3. The cage 5 is supported via a cage support frame 4 which is formed so as to project radially outward from the rotary ring 3 in this example. The cage support frame 4 is a frame made of a rigid body having a triangular shape when viewed from the front.
The cage 5 is rotatably attached to the outermost vertex in the radial direction. The method for supporting the cage 5 by the cage support portion 4 is not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made. For example, the cage support portion 4 may be provided on the inner side in the radial direction with respect to the rotating ring 3, or the cage 5 may be supported by a cantilever. Alternatively, the cage 5 may be directly attached to the rotary ring 3.

In this example, the fixing ring 2 is attached to the orbiting rail 2
4 is provided, and the orbiting support means 34 is provided on the rotating ring 3. However, these correspondences may be reversed. That is, the fixed ring 2 may be provided with the orbiting support means 34, and the rotating ring 3 may be provided with the orbiting rail 24. Further, the orbiting rail 24 and the orbiting supporting means 34 may be provided on both sides at the same time. This means that the orbiting support means 34 provided on the rotary ring 3 corresponds to the orbiting rails 24 provided on the fixed ring 2, and at the same time the fixed ring 2 is provided.
The orbiting rail 24 provided on the rotary ring 3 corresponds to the orbiting support means 34 provided on the.
Further, the number of the orbiting supporting means 34 to be installed may be determined according to the number of the cages 5 provided, or may be determined irrespective of the number.

When the fixed ring 2 is provided with the orbiting support means 34, the weight of the rotating ring 3 and the cage 5 is supported by the upper half of the circumference of the fixed ring 2, so that the orbital support means 34 is arranged. Can be made relatively dense in the upper half of the circumference to bear the weight, and relatively sparse in the lower half of the circumference.
Alternatively, the orbital supporting means 34 may be arranged evenly,
It is also possible to arrange the orbiting support means 34 having a relatively high strength in the upper half of the circumference and the orbiting support means 34 having a relatively low strength in the lower half of the circumference. In this way, the orbiting support means 34 can be efficiently arranged. However, on the other hand, since the orbital supporting means 34 is located over the entire circumference of the fixing ring 2, it is necessary to go up to the upper portion where the orbital supporting means 34 is arranged, which is troublesome. There are drawbacks.

In the case where the rotating ring 3 is provided with the orbiting support means 34, the orbiting support means 34 is located at a position where the weight of the rotating ring 3 and the cage 5 is most applied as the rotating ring 3 rotates. Be sure to pass through the top. That is, the fixing ring 2
Unlike the case where the orbital support means 34 is provided in the above, the orbital support means 34 is evenly weighted. for that reason,
The strength of the orbiting support means 34 needs to match the maximum value of the weight. In other words, in this case, it is necessary to make the entire orbiting support means 34 strong. However, in this case, since it is possible to rotate the rotary ring 3 sequentially during maintenance and work downward, it is less troublesome than when the fixed ring 2 is provided with the orbiting support means 34. Is.

Regarding the positional relationship between the fixed ring 2 and the rotary ring 3, (1) the rotary ring 3 is provided outside the fixed ring 2 in the radial direction, and (2) the rotary ring 3 is rotated inside the fixed ring 2. The ring 3 may be provided, or (3) the fixed ring 2 and the rotating ring 3 may have the same diameter and may be arranged side by side in front of or behind. That is, it is sufficient that two types of rigid rings (the fixed ring 2 and the rotating ring 3) are combined, and various embodiments can be implemented.

The rotary ring 3 is rotated around the orbiting rail 24 of the fixed ring 2 by driving the rotary ring 3 with power supplied from a drive source. As a result, the cage 5 attached to the rotary ring 3 via the cage support 4 circulates along the fixed ring 2. The rotating ring 3 has rigidity over the entire circumference. Therefore, in the case of the conventional structure as shown in FIG.
Although it was necessary to increase the strength of the connecting portion 104 between the cage support frames 102, the rotating ring 3 according to the present invention has a uniform strength in the circumferential direction.
Since the connecting portion itself does not exist, the conventional problem does not occur.

The drive means comprises a drive source and a transmission means for transmitting power to the rotary ring 3. In the present example, a motor is used as the drive source and a gear is used as the transmission means, but the drive source may be another prime mover, and the transmission means may be a chain or the like. Means may be used, and various modifications may be made. Further, the drive means may be integrated with the orbiting support means 34 to transmit power to the rotary ring 3 by driving the orbital support means 34, or a drive source different from the orbital support means 34. It may be arranged at a position and transmit power to each of the orbiting support means 34 via transmission means, or may directly transmit power to the rotary ring 3. In the former case, the driving means may be provided on the fixed ring 2 or the rotating ring 3 as described in the section of the orbital supporting means 34. or,
In the latter case, the driving means can be provided not only in the fixed ring 2 but also in a non-rotating portion such as the fixed ring supporting means 1 or directly on the ground. It is also possible to provide it on the rotating ring 3. Considering the above,
When designing the position of the drive means and the transmission means, it is desirable to decide in consideration of efficiency of power transmission and maintainability.

The cage 5 is rotatably provided on a cage support frame 4 which is provided so as to project radially outward of the rotary ring 3. Since the mounting portion located above the cage body 5 is attached to the cage supporting frame 4 and the center of gravity of the cage body 5 exists below the mounting portion, the cage body 5 should always face up and down. It has become. As a method other than the above,
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a rotating frame 4a and a cage roller 5a may be used, and the cage 5 may be rotatably arranged inside the rotating frame 4a. Various modifications can be implemented as long as the cage 5 is attached.

The ferris wheel according to the present invention having the above-mentioned structure is similar to the conventional ferris wheel, and when the cage 5 is located at the lowermost position, passengers ride on the cage 5 and 5 then returns to the original position via the upper part according to the movement of the rotary ring 3. The platform 6 for passengers to ride on the cage 5 is provided at a position where the cage 5 is at the lowest position, as shown in FIG.

[0026]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the effects of the first and second inventions of the present application, it has a high degree of safety, and since the inner portions of the fixed ring and the rotating ring become spaces, this portion is It is possible to install another playground equipment such as a roller coaster, etc., and it is possible to make the design of the Ferris wheel more flexible. Further, according to the effects of the third and fourth inventions of the present application, in addition to the effects of the first and second inventions, since the orbiting rail is provided without interruption, in the conventional ferris wheel Vibration of the cage does not occur due to the break in the power transmission plate, which is a problem, and passengers on the cage are not made uncomfortable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view seen from the front side, showing an example of an embodiment of a ferris wheel according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view showing an example of an embodiment of the Ferris wheel according to the present invention, which is taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an essential part showing an example of the implementation of the orbiting rail and the feeding means according to the present invention, FIG. 3A is a diagram seen from the extension direction of the orbiting rail, and FIG. It is the figure seen from the right side surface of (A).

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the cage according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged explanatory view of a main part showing a structure of a conventional Ferris wheel.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Fixed ring support means 2 fixing ring 24 orbiting rails 3 rotating ring 34 Orbital support means 5 cage

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A front-view closed circular ring having a fixed ring (2) made of a rigid body and a rotating ring (3) made of a rigid body, and the fixed ring (2) is a fixed ring supporting means ( 1) is arranged in the air, and the rotating ring (3) is rotatably supported by the circling support means (34) along the fixed ring (2) and is supplied from a drive source. The ferris wheel is characterized in that it rotates along a fixed ring (2) by a motive power, and a cage (5) for mounting passengers is attached to the rotary ring (3). 2. Ferris wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the orbiting support means (34) are provided on either the stationary ring (2) or the rotating ring (3). 3. Fixed ring (2) or rotating ring (3)
One of them is provided with the orbiting rail (24) without interruption, and the other is provided with orbital supporting means (34) in contact with the orbiting rail (24). The ferris wheel according to claim 1 or 2, which is characterized. 4. The inner diameter of the rotating ring (3) is larger than the outer diameter of the fixed ring (2).
Ferris wheel according to any one of 3 to 3.