JPH079804A - Wheel device for truck-traveling type amusement vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a guide wheel from causing slippage between itself and a rail by bringing the guide wheel into continuous rolling making contact with the rail. CONSTITUTION:This wheel device is equipped with a truck, which is constituted of a rail, and a wheel, which is constituted by mounting a main wheel rolling on this rail and a a guide wheel for restricting so that the main wheel may not separate by a specified distance from the rail to the car body, and the guide wheel 15 is pushed to roll always in contact with the rail by means of an elastic member 37. Hereby, the guide wheel is pushed always against the rail by the elastic member, so the guide wheel rolls always on the rail without causing slippage, therefore abrasion and damage decrease.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel device for an amusement vehicle which is installed in an amusement park or the like and runs along a track constituted by rails.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Orbital amusement vehicles such as coasters and monorails installed in amusement parks or the like allow passengers to drive vehicles along an orbit consisting of a pair of rails or a single rail. Has become. In this case, the rail is constituted by a pipe or a round bar having a circular cross section, and main rails and guide wheels for traveling are provided at the front, rear, front, rear, left and right of the vehicle with respect to the rail. The guide wheel corresponds to an auxiliary wheel such as a lift prevention wheel or a lateral movement restriction wheel. The main wheel is a wheel for traveling that supports the load of the vehicle and passengers, and rolls on the upper surface of the rail when the vehicle is in a normal posture. The guide wheel, for example, an anti-lifting wheel, prevents the main wheel from separating from the upper surface of the rail by a predetermined distance or more, and is located on the lower surface of the rail when the vehicle is in a normal posture. In addition, the lateral movement restricting wheel is located on the side of the rail,
The main wheels and the lifting prevention wheels are prevented from deviating to the side of the rail. In addition, the guide wheel may be composed of only the lifting prevention wheel or only the lateral movement restriction wheel.

By the way, it is desirable that the guide wheel is originally in contact with the rail and its role. However, in actuality, a certain amount of clearance is provided between the guide wheel and the rail because the vehicle passes through the curved and vertical running portions of the track without difficulty. Therefore, the guide wheel does not contact the rail in the straight part of the track, and when entering a curve or the like, the guide wheel that has been stationary until then contacts the rail and suddenly starts rotating.
At this time, since the moment of inertia acts on the guide wheel, the rotation of the guide wheel may not keep up with the traveling speed of the vehicle, and slip may occur with the rail. Further, even with the main wheels, a similar state occurs when the vehicle travels upside down in a region such as twisting or somersaulting.

As a result, the guide wheels and the main wheels are unevenly worn or damaged, and there is a drawback that the frequency of repairs and replacements of these wheels increases. In order to reduce the frequency of such maintenance, it is conceivable to provide a shock absorber on either the main wheel or the guide wheel. That is, for example, if an elastic force that urges the rail toward the rail is applied to the guide wheel so that the rail is always in contact with the rail with a predetermined force, the guide wheel will rotate even when entering a curve or the like. Therefore, slippage is not generated, and thus uneven wear and damage can be reduced.

[0005]

However, since the wheel group is provided between the vehicle and the rail,
It is not possible to secure a large space between the wheel and the vehicle body, and it is not possible to employ a large-sized and complicated shock absorbing device.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention that the wheels of the above-mentioned wheel group always contact the rails even when the vehicle travels on a straight line portion, and hinder the travel when traveling on a curve or the like. Therefore, the present invention is intended to provide a wheel device for a track-traveling type amusement vehicle having a small size and a simple structure which does not cause slip and thus does not cause slip.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a track formed by a rail, a main wheel rolling on the rail, and the main wheel are a predetermined distance or more from the rail. A vehicle having a guide wheel attached to a vehicle body that prevents the guide wheel from being separated, and in a track-traveling type game vehicle that travels along the track, the guide wheel is biased in the direction of the rail by an elastic member, The guide wheel is always pressed against the rail.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a wheel shaft having an eccentric portion is rotatably attached to the vehicle body, and the guide wheel is rotatably supported on the eccentric portion of the wheel shaft.
One end of the torsion spring is locked to the wheel shaft, and the other end of the torsion spring is connected to the vehicle body. The torsion spring urges the wheel shaft to rotate in one direction. The guide wheel is always pressed against the rail.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the invention, since the guide wheel is constantly pressed against the rail by the elastic member, the guide wheel always rolls on the rail even when traveling on a straight line portion, and when traveling on a curve or the like. Does not hinder traveling because the guide wheel rolls against the rail and slightly escapes against the biasing force of the elastic member. Therefore, since the guide wheel always rolls on the rail, no slip occurs and wear and damage are reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the wheel shaft having the eccentric portion in the central portion is rotated by the biasing force of the torsion spring, the guide wheel attached to the central eccentric portion is always It is pressed against the rail. Therefore, when traveling on a straight portion, the guide wheel always rolls on the rail. In addition, when a large force is applied to the guide wheel, the wheel shaft having the eccentric portion in the center rotates against the biasing force of the torsion spring, so that the guide wheel is displaced so as to escape from the rail, The force that pushes against the rail excessively is absorbed. Therefore, even when going through a curve or the like, the guide wheel allows the vehicle to pass while rolling on the rail. Therefore, the guide wheel is always rollingly contacted with the rail, so that the guide wheel does not slip and wear and damage are reduced. In addition, in the case of the present invention, the shock absorbing mechanism is configured by a simple modification in which the conventionally used wheel shaft is changed to a shaft having an eccentric structure having an eccentric portion at the center and a torsion spring is added. It has a simple structure and requires a small installation space. When the guide wheel is released against the force of pressing it against the rail, the maximum distance is the distance corresponding to the eccentricity of the central eccentric portion. Absent.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 show a side view and a front view of a track such as a coaster installed in an amusement park and the like, and a play vehicle traveling along the track. In the figure, 1 is a track, and a pair of left and right rails 2,
Although not shown, a twisting course, a somersault course, etc. are formed in the middle, and a passenger boarding platform for passengers is provided.

A vehicle 10 has a seat 1 on a vehicle body 11.
2 ... is installed. The seats 12 have, for example, a plurality of rows in the front and rear, and in each row, although not shown, a plurality of passengers can sit side by side in the left-right direction. The passenger sitting in the seat 12 is supported by a body holding device (not shown) whose body is restrained by the seat so that the passenger is not shaken off from the vehicle. On the lower surface of the vehicle body 11, the bogie shaft 1 is spaced apart in the front-rear direction.
3 and 13 are provided. These bogie shafts 13, 13
Respectively extend vertically at the center of the vehicle body 11, and the swing frames 14, 14 are connected to the lower ends thereof. These swing frames 14, 14 are the bogie shafts 13, 1 described above.
It is rotatable about 3 in a horizontal plane parallel to the vehicle body 11. The front and rear swing frames 14, 14
The main wheels 15 and 15, a lifting prevention wheel 16 corresponding to the guide wheel of the present invention, and a lateral movement restricting wheel 17 are attached to each of the left and right ends of the vehicle. That is, the main wheels 15, 15, the floating prevention wheel 16, and the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 are attached to the front and rear left and right of the vehicle body 11, that is, the four corners.

When the vehicle 10 travels in an upright normal posture, the main wheels 15, 15 roll on the upper surface of the rail 2 to support the loads of the vehicle 10 and passengers and rotate. When the vehicle 10 travels in an upward normal posture, the anti-lift wheel 16 is located on the lower surface of the rail 2 and prevents the main wheels 15, 15 from rising above the upper surface of the rail 2 by a predetermined distance or more. The lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is located on the side surface of the rail 2 and prevents the main wheels 15, 15 and the lifting prevention wheel 16 from laterally shifting and derailing from the rail 2.

The lateral movement restricting wheels 17 may be located on both the outer surface and the inner surface of the rail 2, or may be located on either the outer surface or the inner surface of the rail 2. The present embodiment shows an example of a structure in which the inner surface of the rail 2 rolls.

The supporting structure of the main wheels 15, 15, the lifting prevention wheel 16 and the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. A wheel group support frame 25 is rotatably attached to the end of the swing frame 14 via a bearing metal (not shown), and the bracket 20 is fixed to the wheel group support frame 25 by means such as welding. ing. This bracket 20
Has a substantially T-shape in side view, as shown in FIG.
The main wheels 15 above the support shafts 21 and 21 via the support shafts 21 and 21.
15 is rotatably supported, and the floating prevention wheel 16 is supported on the lower part thereof via another support shaft 22. Therefore, the main wheels 15 and 15 and the lifting prevention wheel 16 are attached to the bracket 20, and the upper and lower surfaces of the rail 2 are held between the main wheels 15 and 15 and the lifting prevention wheel 16. In addition, these main wheels 15, 15
Elastic belts 23 and 24 made of urethane rubber, synthetic resin, or the like are wound around the outer peripheral surface of the floating prevention wheel 16 to prevent noise.

Further, the wheel group support frame 25 includes:
A pair of upper and lower support arm portions 26 extending in the front or rear direction,
26 are formed, and these supporting arm portions 26, 26 are formed.
A wheel shaft 30 that constitutes the wheel device of the present invention is supported between them. The wheel shaft 30 has a central portion 3 as shown in FIG.
1 has a large diameter eccentric with respect to the end portions 32, 32 by a dimension δ, and the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is rotatably supported on the central eccentric portion 31 via a ball bearing 33. There is. An elastic band member 34 made of urethane rubber or synthetic resin for noise prevention is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lateral movement restricting wheel 17.
Is wound, and substantially this elastic band member 34 is rolled on the inner surface of the rail 2.

Both ends 32, 32 of the wheel shaft 30 are rotatably supported by support arm portions 26, 26 of the support frame plate 25 via bearing metals 36, 36. Further, torsion coil springs 37, 37 are wound around both ends 32, 32 of the wheel shaft 30, and one end 37 a of each of the torsion coil springs 37, 37 has an end portion 32 of the wheel shaft 30.
And the other end 37b is supported by the support arm.
It is hooked on a bolt 38 that is screwed to the frame portions 26, 26. Therefore, the torsion coil springs 37, 37 urge the wheel shaft 30 to rotate in one direction, and this rotation urging direction is the direction in which the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is pressed against the inner surface of the rail 2. Has become.

The operation of the thus constructed embodiment will be described. The vehicle 10 travels along the track 1, and in this case, when the vehicle 10 travels in an upward normal posture, the main wheels 15 provided at the four corners of the front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle body 11,
The wheel 15 rolls on the upper surface of the rail 2 to prevent the wheel 16 from rising.
Is located on the lower surface of the rail 2 and has lateral movement restricting wheels 17
Is located on the inner surface of the rail 2. Therefore, the vehicle 10 travels along the left and right rails 2, 2.

In the lateral movement restricting wheel 17, the wheel shaft 30 supporting the wheel 17 has torsion coil springs 37, 37.
Since the central eccentric portion 31 is rotated from the portion having a small eccentric amount to the portion having a large eccentric amount, the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is pressed against the rail 2 in response to the force. When the lateral movement regulating wheel 17 comes into contact with the rail 2, the torsion coil springs 37, 37 urge the lateral movement regulating wheel 17 against the rail 2 so as to always maintain this abutting state.

Therefore, the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is always in rolling contact with the side surface of the rail 2, and the rotation does not stop while the vehicle 10 is traveling. And the vehicle 10
When the vehicle enters the curved part of the track, the lateral movement control wheel 1
The wheel 7 for rolling contacts the side surface of the rail 2 and rotates while also holding a predetermined pressing force, so that the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 does not slip with the rail 2 and moves laterally. Uneven wear and damage of the regulation wheel 17 can be prevented, and maintenance becomes easy.

Further, in the structure of the wheel device, the support shaft of the conventionally used lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is changed to the wheel shaft 30 having the central eccentric portion 31, and the torsion coil spring 37, It can be realized with a simple structure in which only 37 is added, a large increase in the number of parts and an extra space for the configuration can be avoided, and a small size and space saving are possible.

Further, the wheel shaft 30 has a large diameter in which the central portion 31 is eccentric with respect to the end portions 32, 32 by a dimension δ, and an excessive force applied to the lateral movement regulating wheel 17 is released. Therefore, even when the wheel 17 is rotated, the escape dimension of the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is only the maximum δ dimension. Therefore, the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is not significantly separated from the side surface of the rail, and therefore the main wheels 15 and 15 and the lifting prevention wheel 16 are not disengaged from the roll 2. Further, since the wheel shaft 30 has a structure in which the central portion 31 is eccentric with respect to the end portions 32, 32 and has a large diameter, the wheel shaft 30 has a large strength and can reliably receive a large force.

In the above embodiment, the lateral / lateral movement regulating wheel 17 is attached to the wheel shaft 30 having the central eccentric portion 31,
Although the case where the torsion coil springs 37, 37 are attached to the wheel shaft 30 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and may have a configuration like that of another embodiment shown in FIG. 7. That is, in FIG. 7, the shaft 7 is attached to the wheel group support frame 25.
The swing arm 71 is swingably attached via the 0, and the lateral movement regulating wheel 17 is rotatably attached to the tip of the swing arm 71 via the support shaft 72. A stopper portion 73 is formed on the wheel group support frame 25, and a coil spring 75 is inserted between the stopper portion 73 and the swing arm 71. The coil spring 75 has an adjusting screw 76.
It is pushed by the holding plate 77 which can be displaced.

Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, since the swing arm 71 is pushed by the coil spring 75, the lateral movement regulating wheel 17 is pushed against the rail 2. For this reason,
The lateral movement restricting wheel 17 always rolls on the rail 2. It should be noted that the swing arm 71 is stopped by the stopper portion 73 to restrict the distance that the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 separates from the rail 2. Even in such an embodiment, the lateral movement regulating wheel 17 does not slip with the rail 2 and it is possible to prevent uneven wear and damage of the lateral movement regulating wheel 17.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 has been described, but the present invention may be applied to the lifting prevention wheel 16 and the lateral movement restricting wheel 17 is also applicable. It may be applied to the wheel 16 for preventing floating.

[0026]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the guide wheel constantly rolls on the rail, so that slipping does not occur between the guide wheel and the rail, and wear and damage of the guide wheel are reduced. Therefore, maintenance such as repair or replacement can be reduced.

Further, according to the second aspect of the invention, the wheel shaft having the eccentric portion in the central portion is rotated by receiving the urging force of the torsion spring, so that the guide wheel attached to the central eccentric portion is rotated. Are always pressed against the rails and the guide wheels always roll on the rails. Therefore, no slip occurs and wear and damage are reduced. Moreover, in this case, the conventional wheel shaft should be changed to a shaft having an eccentric structure having an eccentric portion at the center, and the shock absorbing mechanism should be configured by simply changing the torsion spring. And the structure is simple,
The installation space is small. When the guide wheel is released against the force of pressing it against the rail, the maximum distance is the distance corresponding to the eccentricity of the central eccentric portion. There are advantages such as not.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing a wheel device for a lateral movement restricting wheel taken along line I-I of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a wheel device for lateral movement restricting wheels of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a wheel device for a lateral movement restricting wheel along a line III-III in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a wheel device for lateral movement restricting wheels taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the track-traveling type amusement vehicle of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the track-traveling type amusement vehicle of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a wheel device showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rail 2 ... Rail 10 ... Vehicle for play 11 ... Car body 12 ...
Seat 13 ... Bogie shaft 14 ... Swing arm 15 ... Main wheel 16 ... Lifting prevention wheel 17 ... Lateral movement regulating wheel 25 ... Support plate 26 ... Support arm part 30 ... Wheel shaft 31 ... Central eccentric part
32 ... Shaft end 34 ... Elastic band 37 ... Torsion coil spring

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle comprising a track formed of rails, a main wheel rolling on the rail, and a guide wheel for restricting the main wheel from being separated from the rail by a predetermined distance or more, mounted on a vehicle body, In an orbital traveling type vehicle which travels along the track, the guide wheel is urged toward the rail by an elastic member so that the guide wheel is constantly pressed against the rail. Wheel system for amusement play vehicles. 2. A wheel shaft having an eccentric portion is rotatably attached to the vehicle body, the guide wheel is rotatably supported on the eccentric portion of the wheel shaft, and one end of a torsion spring is attached to the wheel shaft. And the other end of the torsion spring is connected to the vehicle body, and the torsion shaft is urged to rotate the wheel shaft in one direction so that the guide wheel is constantly pressed against the rail. The wheel device for a track traveling type amusement vehicle according to claim 1, wherein