NL1042653B1 - Panoramic spiral - Google Patents

Abstract

A tower with passenger cabins providing a panorarnic view, which travel on rails having spiral shape up and down and around the tower, whereby an ascending spiral rails is coupled in an endless loop to the descending spiral rails, characterized in that the speed and distance between the cabins is controlled independently.

Description

The invention concerns a tower with passenger cabins providing a panoramic view, which travel pn rails haying spiral shape; up and down and around the tower, whereby an ascending spiral rails is coupled in an endless loop to the depending spiral rails, according to the beginning of conclusion 1.

Towers with double spiral rails and cabins are known in several patents such as US 1905 0074884, US 1905 0042660, US192Q0373928 and more recently CN2011281285U. Passengers can enter the cabins at the bottom and experience a panoramic view' from the cabins during the way up arid down the spirals.

The cabins according to state of art towers travel at the same distance from each other and at the same speed over the entire length of the: track. For the passengers to step in and out of a cabin comfortably and safely, all cabins can only travel at low' speed of slow down, Of all cabins are stopped for some time, each time a cabin is at the entrance sttdion abthe bottom of the tow'er. A disadvantage of running at low speed or slowing down or stopping the cabins is that it increases: the cycle time of the cabins, and as a result the number of passengers per hour is reduced. Another disadvantage is that the cabins in their way up and down also experience the acceleration and deceleration of the cabins, which is inconvenient and therefore undesirable.

From an economic,.point of view, the best situation is achieved if the passengers can experience; much time; at the top of the tower, where the panoramic view is optimum, while the total cycle lime of the cabins is short, allowing more passengers ίο enjoy the ride.

The objective of the invention is to remove one or more of the. above disadvantages and to provide a solution which allows optimisation of the comfort and of the panoramic view' of passengers. This is achieved by controlling and adapting the travelling speed of the cabins in different parts of the cycle. The first past of the cycle is at the station where passengers enter or exit the cabins, which can be optimized by including a horizontal station at the bottom. One or more cabins are slowed down or stopped to offer sufficient time for enhance or exit. Another part of the eyeie is when the cabins travel up or down the spirals, and in this part the speed can be higher to reduce the total cycle time. Another part of the eycle is When the cabins are at the top of foe tower, where the panoramic view is best and pretetahl| the: travelling speed is reduced. The panoramic view is further improved by allowing the cabins to rotate around two axes. In this way the cabin remains vertical while it rotates afohhd;;a vertical axis.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the travelling Speed of each cabin is controlled individually and cabins can be uncoupled and taken out of the rails. In this way, cleaning and maintenance of cabins can be done while the tosria remains in operation.

Cabins running up the rails will consume power to travel against the gravity, while cabins running down can deliver power, in another preferred embodiment of the invention, the motor drives of the cabins are coupled electrically* such that the cables running down deliver power to the cabins running upward. ThestotSl power consumption in this way is reduced.

Further explanation oi the invention will be given by means of figures below, which will give a practical embodiment oi ihe invention, but may not. be considered in a limiting sense, wherein:

Figure 1 Shows a side view of a tower with passenger cabins providing a panoramic view, which irtivel on rails around the tower having spiral shape, whereby an ascending spiral rails is coupled at the top to a descending spiral rails, according to prior art.

Figure 2 shows a side view of a tower with passenger cabins travelling at varying distance and speed according: to iliesinveotion.

Figure 3 shows isometric view of an embodiment of a cabin travelling on a rail track.

The vertical maiji structure (1) in figure 1 and the spiral tracks attached to the periphery of the main structure arranged as an endless loop of an ascending track (2a) and a descending track (2b), allowing cabins (3) to travel along the track up and down.

In figure 2 the cabins (3) travel at varying speed and distance to each other. The cabins at the station (4) at the bottom of the tower can slow down or stop for passengers to step in and out, while Other cabins continue travelling at higher speed at the track up and down. Cabins (3) at the top of the tower can also slow down to give more time to passengers to enjoy the panoramic view at the best, highest point of the ride.

In Figure 3 a more detailed example of a cabin (3) is shown. The cabin travels upward on two sets (8) of three wheels on two parallel rails 2a. The parallel rails are connected by beam elements (6) at regular spacing, which is to ensure the rails arc kept parallel and also to provide support elements^?) to be connected to the vertical main structure (1). hi this special embodiment ihe cabin is spherical and can be rotated::arpund two orthogonal axes, indicated by M and R§, For the rotation around the axis R2, a circular bearing (9) around the cabin (3) is provided. The rotation angle of the two axes (R1, R2> is controlled such that the position of the cabin (3) is kept vertical al all times.

Claims (5)

I A tower with passenger cabins with; a panoramic view, which moves on rails on rails with a spiral shape up and down and around the tower, wherein the ascending spiral-shaped rails are coupled to an endless bar with the descending spiral-shaped rails; and can be controlled independently of each other between the cabins. & . A tower according to claim 1, wherein the cabins in a station at the bottom of the tower can be stopped for a limited time to allow passengers to get in and out. 3. A tower according to claim 1, wherein the speed of the booths in a station at the bottom of the torer; may delay for a limited time or allow passengers to board and disembark 4. A tore ·; as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein one or more cabins can be taken from the rails, while the other cabs on the rails remain operational 5. A torer; as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the cabins are: rotatable about two axes, so that the orientation of the cabins can be held vertically at the ascending and at the descending track. 6. A method for operating a tower according to one or more of the preceding claims.