JPH0138700B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) This invention relates to a standing device for a jet coaster, somersault coaster, or other amusement vehicle that moves on a track or in the air, which is installed in an amusement park, etc. This invention relates to a standing seat device for safely holding a middle passenger in an upright position.

(Prior Art) The present applicant has been developing an amusement vehicle tentatively named a standing roof coaster. This is an epoch-making coaster unlike any other in the world, in which passengers are literally held in a standing position on the amusement vehicle itself, and the ride descends, turns, and somersaults along the track, unlike conventional jet coasters. Compared to somersault and somersault coasters, which have passengers seated deeply in their seats and travel with a low center of gravity, this coaster has a high center of gravity and is unstable because the passengers remain in a standing position and travel in steep descents, turns, and somersaults. Moreover, the eye level is high, which greatly amplifies the feeling of weightlessness and enhances the real thrill of coasters even more.

It goes without saying that it is essential to protect the safety of passengers while running these standain group coasters, but the unreasonable burden of gravity G caused by sideways vibration and sudden descent acceleration is placed on the bodies of passengers who are in a standing position. It is necessary to ensure that the passenger does not fall over, or to maintain a standing position in the event that a passenger faints while driving, so that the passenger can be fully protected. For this reason, the present applicant proposed an arm loop that supports the shoulder area of the passenger by inserting the right and left arms of the passenger while the passenger is in a standing position, and that also sandwiches the passenger's torso from the left and right. Constructing a body support mechanism including members,
We have proposed a standing device that uses this body support mechanism to firmly hold the upper body of a passenger who is standing up.

Since such a body support mechanism firmly supports the upper body of the passenger, it is possible to ensure the safety of the passenger and to create a thrilling sense of realism as the vehicle travels in a standing position.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, the above-mentioned body support mechanism must firmly support the passenger's upper body for safety reasons, but if the height of the body support mechanism is constant, Different adults and children have different places to support and hold down.
There is a fear that it will not be able to support a given position.

In the present invention, even if passengers have different physiques, their bodies can be firmly supported while standing,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a standing seating device for an amusement ride that ensures safety.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In the present invention, there is provided an amusement vehicle main body that runs along a track, a support provided on the play vehicle main body, and a support provided on the support with a passenger standing up. Arm passing members rotatable in the left and right direction through which the passenger's shoulder circumferences are supported by inserting the left and right arms, respectively, and locking means for locking the arm passing members in this position while holding the body. The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with a body support mechanism having the following: and a height adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the height of the body support mechanism according to the height of the passenger.

(Function) According to the present invention, the height of the body support mechanism that supports the upper body of the passenger is adjustable, so that even when passengers with different physiques, such as adults and children, ride, each body can be positioned at a predetermined position according to their physiques. It can support and hold down the body, increasing safety.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Here, the standing device of the present invention will be explained by exemplifying a stand-in group coaster as an amusement vehicle.

First, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a coaster track, and reference numerals 2 and 2 indicate a plurality of amusement vehicle bodies arranged so as to be able to run on the track 1 via wheels 3, respectively. It does not have a box-like body that a person can fit into, and is flat with a substantially flat upper surface. On the upper surface of each of the amusement vehicle bodies 2, there are provided one or two rows of simple stand-up devices 4 in the form of a single pillar, spaced apart from each other in the front and rear, on which passengers can ride while standing upright.

The detailed structure of this standing seat device 4 will be described with reference to FIG. This single support 6 is a hollow rectangular steel tube and has a perforated cap 6a at its upper end. A body support mechanism 7 is attached to the front side of the single support column 6 to safely hold the passenger's back, shoulders, and waist while keeping the passenger in an upright position.

As the body support mechanism 7, a back support 8 which is vertically elongated and has an inverted U-shape and also serves as a standing frame is provided on the front side of the single pillar 6. This backrest 8
Aggregate 8 is made by bending a round steel pipe into an inverted U shape.
A cushion material 8b such as thick soft rubber is placed on the outer periphery of a.
It has a vertically elongated structure with a width suitable for a passenger to rest his or her back against, and the arcuate portion at the upper end serves as a headrest so that the back of the passenger's head can rest against it. A support frame 9 that surrounds one pillar 6 so as to protrude rearward from two positions above and below the left and right vertical rod portions of the aggregate 7a of this back support 8,
9 is provided. These upper and lower support frames 9,
A set of four guide rollers 10 are provided on the inside of the support column 6, which contact the front, rear, left, and right surfaces of the single support column 6, respectively, so that the back support 8 can be moved approximately against the single support column 6 at two locations above and below. It is mounted vertically so as to be movable up and down, and is supported at the height desired by the passenger by a gravity G buffer/height adjustment mechanism 28, which will be described later.

A seat 12 is attached to the lower end of the back support 8, projecting forward from a bracket 11 fixed to the downwardly extending portions of the right and left vertical rods of the aggregate 8a. This seat 12 is not a seat that a person can sit on with their entire buttocks in contact with it like a normal seat, but a small one that a person can straddle and place their buttocks shallowly on, like a bicycle saddle. While straddling the seat 12, the user can stand in a substantially upright position with both feet placed on the upper surface of the amusement vehicle main body 2 and the back rested on the back support 8, and in this state, the knees are bent and the lower back sinks. disappears.

Furthermore, arm loop members 13, 13 for holding both shoulders of the passenger are provided on the left and right sides of the back support 8 slightly above the middle. The left and right arm passing members 13, 13 are vertical shaft rods that are rotatably supported at the tips of a pair of upper and lower support arms 14, 14 that protrude outwardly from the left and right vertical rod portions of the frame 8a of the back support 8. 13a, an aggregate 13b made of a substantially C-shaped steel pipe connected to the upper and lower ends thereof, and a cushion material 13c such as thick-walled soft rubber that covers the entire circumference of the vertical shaft rod 13a and the aggregate 13b. Each of them is formed into a ring-shaped, bilaterally symmetrical shape. Grip bars 15, 15 are integrally provided on the front side portions of these left and right arm passing members 13, 13 and protrude. The left and right arm passing members 13, 13 are rotatable to the left and right around vertical shaft rods 13a, 13a, respectively, and when a passenger pulls together with both arms, they rotate in a direction that closes the left and right arms, and the shoulders of the passenger's body are rotated. It becomes possible to abut both sides of the torso from the upper side, and in this case, both arms are passed through from the inside of the arm-passing members 13, 13 to the outside, and the grip bars 15, 15 can be grasped with the left and right hands.
Note that the arm loop members 13, 13 are connected by a link so that they can rotate to open and close in conjunction with each other left and right. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the link consists of a central rotating plate 17 that is pivotally supported on the back side of a plate 16 fixed between the left and right vertical rods of the aggregate 8a of the back support 8, and Left and right link bars 18, 18 extend from the vertically symmetrical part of the moving plate 17, and the vertical shaft rod 13 is attached to the tip of the link bars 18, 18.
Rotating lever 1 protruding from and connected to a and 13a
9 and 19, the left and right arm passing member 1
The opening/closing rotations of 3 and 13 are made to interlock with each other. Further, the rotating plate 17 of the link is connected to a piston rod 20a of a lock cylinder 20 attached to the back surface of the back support 8, and its rotation is prevented by a valve switching operation of the hydraulic circuit, which will be described later. . In other words, left and right arm passing member 1
3 and 13 are both designed to be fully locked in the closed rotation position desired by the passenger.

Further, an abdominal presser 21 is provided to be supported by the lower end portion of the back support 8 described above. This abdominal presser 21 holds the lower abdomen area of the passenger from the front side to stabilize the lower back and thereby prevent the passenger's buttocks from slipping off the small seat 12. It is composed of a rotating arm 21a made of a bent steel pipe, and a cushion member 21b made of thick soft rubber or the like provided on the outer periphery of the upper horizontal part. The lower end of this rotating arm 21a is fixed to a rotating shaft 22, and the rotating shaft 22 is attached to a bearing 2 attached to brackets 11 and 23 fixed to the left and right downwardly extending portions of the aggregate 8a of the back support 8.
4 and 24, the abdominal presser 2
1 can be rotated from a state in which it falls forward to an upright state in which it touches the vicinity of the passenger's lower abdomen.
Further, an operating handle 25 is provided protruding from the middle of the rotating arm 21a of the abdominal presser 21, which allows the passenger to manually pull up the abdominal presser 21. The rotation shaft 22 of the abdominal presser 21 is connected to the bracket 11.
It is connected to a piston rod 26a of a lock cylinder 26 attached to the back side via a rotation lever 27, and the cylinder 26 is operated by switching a valve of a hydraulic circuit, which will be described later, so that rotation of the abdominal presser 21 can be locked. It's getting old.

The body support mechanism 7 is attached to the single pillar 6 so that its height can be adjusted vertically. Regarding this adjustment mechanism 28, it stands on the base 5 when inserted into the single pillar 6. The built-in spring type special cylinder 29 is connected to the upper end of the piston rod 29a of the cylinder 29 via a guide plate 30 that is slidably fitted into the single support 6 so as to be movable up and down, and passes through the perforated cap 6a. A lifting rod 31 extending upward, a suspension bar 32 attached to the upper end of the lifting rod 31 in a T-shape, and this suspension bar 3.
A pair of left and right suspension rods 33, 3 are connected to upper and lower support frames 9, 9, which are suspended from both ends of the frame 2 and project from the back support 8, respectively, so as to lift them.
The configuration consists of 3. The built-in spring type special cylinder 29 has first, second, and third pistons 34a and 3 in order from the bottom inside the cylinder as shown in FIG.
4b, 34c, and a piston rod 29a from the second piston passes through the third piston 34c tightly and projects upward, while a buffer spring 35 is provided between the first and second pistons 34a, 34b. The first and second pistons 34a and 34b are interposed and connected by a guide rod 36 so that they can move within a range not exceeding a predetermined distance from each other. Further, below the first piston 34a,
The first oil chamber 37a is connected to the first and second pistons 34.
A second oil chamber 37b is provided between the second and third pistons 34b and 34b, and a second oil chamber 37b is provided between the second and third pistons 34b and 34c.
A third oil chamber 3 communicates with the second oil chamber 37b via an orifice 38 formed in the piston 34b.
7c, and an air chamber 39 communicating with the atmosphere is formed above the third piston 34c.
The first and third oil chambers 37a and 37c communicate with each other through a hydraulic circuit 41 with a valve 40 interposed therebetween, and by opening the valve 40 by depressing a foot pedal 42, the first piston 34a and the second piston 34b is free to move up and down with the piston rod 29a, so that the entire body support mechanism 7 can be moved and adjusted to any height desired by the passenger relative to the single support column 6. When the foot pedal 42 is released and the valve 40 is closed, the oil flow between the first and third oil chambers 37a, 37c is cut off, and at least the vertical movement of the first piston 34a is completely prevented. This prevents the second piston 34b and the piston rod 29a, which are supported on the upper side via the buffer spring 35, from moving under a normal load (a load equal to the total weight of the body support mechanism 7 plus the passenger's weight). The body support mechanism 7 is positioned and held at a desired height adjustment position while maintaining the same state.

When a gravity G several times the weight of the passenger's body is applied from the passenger via the body support mechanism 7 to the piston rod 29a due to the acceleration caused by the steep descent of the vehicle main body 2 in the height adjustment positioning state, the immovable first piston 3
4a, the second piston 34b has a buffer spring 35
from the spring force and the second oil chamber 37b to the orifice 3.
8 to the third oil chamber 37c and moves downward against the resistance of the oil flow to the third oil chamber 37c, thereby buffering the gravity G. At this time, the piston rod 29a cannot be lowered due to rod reaction force unless the oil in the second and third oil chambers 37b and 37c escapes by a volume equal to the lowering distance multiplied by the cross-sectional area of the rod. However, due to the rod reaction force, the third oil chamber 3
As the third piston 34c above 7c releases the air in the air chamber 39 to the atmosphere and rises,
The piston rod 29a is allowed to descend.

In addition, 43 in FIGS. 3 and 4 is a gas spring that is erected from the base 5 on the front part of the single column 6 to be used together with the buffer and height adjustment mechanism 28.
The upper end of this piston rod 43a is connected to the lower support frame 9 protruding from the back support 8 in such a way as to push it up, so that the total weight of the body holding mechanism 7 is always kept close to zero, that is, the weight is reduced. The height of the body support mechanism 7 can be easily adjusted manually by the passenger.

Further, the lock cylinder 20 of the left and right arm passing members 13, 13 and the lock cylinder 26 with a check valve of the abdominal presser 21 are valves that are activated by depressing and releasing the foot pedal 42, as shown in FIG. Locking and unlocking are performed by hydraulic circuits 45 and 46 having 44, and a check valve 47 is provided in the hydraulic circuit 46 of the abdominal presser 21 in parallel with the valve 44, so that when the lock is locked, However, the abdominal presser 21 is allowed to rotate only in the upward direction, that is, rotate only in the direction in which it comes into contact with the passenger's lower abdomen, and conversely, the rotation in the direction away from the passenger's lower abdomen is completely prevented. It's getting old.

The operation of the above-described configuration will now be explained. First, a stand-up group coaster consisting of a plurality of amusement vehicle bodies 2... enters the platform and is stopped, and these amusement vehicle bodies 2...
Passengers are allowed to board each of the upper standing devices 4 one by one. Passenger A moves and adjusts the body support mechanism 7 to a height appropriate for his/her height by lightly pushing up or down the predetermined operation points with his or her hands, while adjusting the height of the body support mechanism 7 until the seat 12 is placed under the passenger's thighs. Operate so that they touch each other. In this way, the passenger stands up, straddles the seat 12, and rests on the seat with the back and the back of the head in contact with the back support 8, and also passes both arms through the left and right arm passing members 13, 13. 13, 13, as if holding them, pull them inward and rotate them so that they come into contact with both shoulders and both flanks. Furthermore, holding the handle 25 with one hand, the abdominal presser 21 is pulled up and rotated so that it comes into contact with the lower abdomen.

After confirming that all passengers have completed the ride as described above, the operator releases the foot pedal 42 and each hydraulic circuit 41, 4
Close valves 40 and 44 of 5 and 46. With this, the special cylinder 29 of the height adjustment mechanism 28 is locked, and the entire body support mechanism 7 is positioned and held at the height set by the passenger with respect to the pillar 6. Also, the left and right arm passing members 13, 13 are also connected to the lock cylinder 2.
The abdominal presser 21 is locked by the lock cylinder 26 so that it does not rotate left or right while in contact with both shoulders and flanks of the passenger via links. The abdomen presser 21 is allowed to rotate in the direction of coming into contact with the passenger's abdomen by the action of the check valve 47, so that there is always no gap between it and the abdomen.

As a result of the above, all passengers are held in a standing position straddling the seat 12 so as not to fall in either the front, back, left, or right direction, and also are prevented from rising or falling in the vertical direction. In addition, in order to give the passenger a sense of security, the passenger is made to grasp the grip bars 15, 15 with both hands.

In this way, after confirming the safety of each passenger, the coaster is started and the amusement vehicle main body 2... is run.
When accelerating suddenly or climbing a slope, the back and the back of the head are supported 8
This allows you to maintain a safe standing posture, and even against curves and side-to-side vibrations, your lower abdomen is held down by straddling the seat 12, and both shoulders and both sides are protected by the left and right arm passage members 13, 13. Because it is restrained, the upper body from the waist is stable and safety is ensured.
Furthermore, the abdominal presser 2 can be used to prevent the body from leaning forward at the start of acceleration on a downhill slope when the speed is not so high.
Abdominal presser and left and right arm passing members 13, 13 according to 1
Safety is ensured by the pressure on both shoulders and the tension of the passenger's own hands holding the grip bars 15, 15.

Next, when a passenger descends suddenly down a slope and is subjected to a gravitational force several times the weight of the passenger due to large acceleration, if the passenger remains in a standing position without any help, the large load will be concentrated directly on the passenger's own legs. , this would lead to a very dangerous situation due to the human body structure, but here the passenger is in a standing position, but the seat 12
By straddling the body, the large load is received by the legs and the waist, which is the most advantageous part of the human body structure, and by passing both arms through the left and right arm passing members 13, 13, the large load is also received by the armpits. In this way, the large load is not concentrated on the legs, but is distributed and received.
Furthermore, a special cylinder 29 with a built-in spring of the buffer/height adjustment mechanism 28 is used to cope with the large acceleration load.
The large load is reduced by the piston rod 29a appropriately lowering against the buffer spring 35 to create a buffering effect.

This allows passengers to safely maintain a standing position without any danger, although their bodies from the waist up may rise and fall, allowing them to safely perform large turns and somersaults to return to the original platform. Become.

Furthermore, during the above-mentioned various types of traveling, for example, even when a large gravitational force is applied to the passenger, or when the passenger is in a state of fainting and tries to bend his/her knees and bend down, the lower abdomen is held down by the abdominal presser 21. stool 1
2. There is no need to worry about the buttocks slipping off from above, and since both arms are passed through the left and right arm passing members 13, 13, the standing posture can be maintained until the end, ensuring complete safety. is planned and there is no danger at all.

Furthermore, as described above, the height of the body support mechanism 7 that presses and supports the upper body of the passenger is adjusted by the height adjustment mechanism 28, so that the seat base 12, arm loop members 13, 13 are placed in positions that match the physique of the passenger. The position of the abdominal presser 21 can be adjusted, and each passenger can support his or her body in a position appropriate to his/her physique, resulting in extremely high safety.

Therefore, in any case while traveling, passengers are safely held in a standing position, have a high center of gravity and a high line of sight, and are able to stand up on the top surface of the vehicle body 2 and surround themselves with many supports and frames. Without being surrounded by water, each passenger has a wide field of view from their feet to overhead, as well as their surroundings, and the steep descents, turns, and somersaults provide an extremely thrilling ride that cannot be experienced on conventional seated somersault coasters. You can fully enjoy the pleasure and sense of reality.

In addition to this, the body support mechanism 7 is the height adjustment mechanism 2.
8's cushioning function allows it to move up and down appropriately, allowing passengers to move their upper bodies up and down while slightly bending and stretching their knees, making it easier for them to stand than if their bodies were held completely still. The feeling of riding it is great, and the thrill and interest doubles.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be applied to, for example, a jet coaster that simply ascends and descends on a track, a screw coaster that performs continuous somersaults, a coaster similar thereto, or any other various amusement rides. is also applicable.

In addition, the body support mechanism 7 and its height adjustment mechanism 2
8 can also be modified in various ways. For example, the height adjustment mechanism 28 may have no buffering action, or the back rest 8 may be fixed and only the seat base 12, left and right arm passage members 13, 13, and abdominal presser 21 may be moved up and down with respect to the back rest 8. For example, it may be movable and the height may be adjusted by the height adjustment mechanism 28.
Various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

(Effects of the Invention) As detailed above, this invention allows passengers of different physiques to hold their bodies firmly by adjusting the height of the body support mechanism according to their physiques, so they can stand up while traveling. This makes it possible to ensure the safety of passengers who remain in the same position.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the invention.
The figure is a schematic diagram of a stand-up group coaster equipped with the stand-up device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the stand-up device, FIG. 3 is a front view, FIG. 4 is a side view, and FIG. An explanatory diagram of the link portion of the left and right restraining bands, and FIG. 6 is a hydraulic circuit diagram. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Track, 2... Play vehicle main body, 3... Wheels, 4... Standing device, 5... Base, 6... Support column, 7... Body support mechanism, 8... Back support, 8a...
... Aggregate, 8b... Cushion material, 12... Seat, 13, 13... Left and right arm loop members, 13b...
Aggregate, 13c...Cushion material, 15...Grip bar, 20...Lock cylinder, 21...Abdominal presser, 25...Operation handle, 26...Lock cylinder, 28...Height adjustment mechanism, 29... ...Special cylinder with built-in spring, 40, 45, 46...Hydraulic circuit, 42...Foot pedal, 47...Check valve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An amusement vehicle main body that runs along a track, a pillar installed upright on the amusement vehicle main body, and a pillar provided on the pillar through which a passenger, standing up, inserts his left and right arms, respectively. A body support mechanism having arm loop members rotatable in the left and right directions that support the shoulders of the passenger, and locking means for locking these arm loop members while holding the passenger's body; A standing seat device for an amusement ride, comprising: a height adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the height; 2. The body support mechanism includes, in addition to the arm loop member, a seat that supports the buttocks of the passenger who is in a standing position, an abdominal presser that presses the lower torso of the passenger who is in a standing position, and 2. A standing seat device for an amusement ride according to claim 1, further comprising a locking means for preventing the abdomen presser from moving away from the body while pressing the body.