US3698710A - Merry-go-round - Google Patents

Merry-go-round Download PDF

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Publication number
US3698710A
US3698710A US61233A US3698710DA US3698710A US 3698710 A US3698710 A US 3698710A US 61233 A US61233 A US 61233A US 3698710D A US3698710D A US 3698710DA US 3698710 A US3698710 A US 3698710A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
merry
round
trolley
girder
hub
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US61233A
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English (en)
Inventor
Anton Schwarzkopf
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Anton Schwarzkopf Stahl und Fahrzeugbau
Original Assignee
Anton Schwarzkopf Stahl und Fahrzeugbau
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Publication date
Application filed by Anton Schwarzkopf Stahl und Fahrzeugbau filed Critical Anton Schwarzkopf Stahl und Fahrzeugbau
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Publication of US3698710A publication Critical patent/US3698710A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63G—MERRY-GO-ROUNDS; SWINGS; ROCKING-HORSES; CHUTES; SWITCHBACKS; SIMILAR DEVICES FOR PUBLIC AMUSEMENT
    • A63G1/00—Roundabouts

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT A merry-go-round has a hemispherical framework or cage rotatable about a vertical axis, the framework including a plurality of curved beams of quadrantal shape extending from a common hub at the nadir of the hemisphere to its equator defined by a circular hoop; each beam forms a guidetrack for a respective trolley having several passenger cabins suspended therefrom by universal joints.
  • the trolleys are hoisted along their tracks, during a ride, by chains or the like which in one embodiment are controlled by a piston slidable under air pressure in the hollow beam.
  • the framework may surround a sphere bearing a simulated moonscape, the cabins simulating space craft on a lunar mission.
  • a method is also disclosed of erecting and collapsing the lunar sphere step-by-step with application of air pressure to a telescoped center post.
  • My present invention relates to a merry-go-round provided with at least one curved girder for the guidance of a trolley which is connected to passenger cabins or the like.
  • a turntable In conventional merry-go-rounds a turntable is mounted on the end of a strong bell-crank lever, wire cages for boarding by passengers being provided at the edge of the turntable. As soon as the turntable has reached its full speed and the passengers are thus pressed against the rear walls of the cages by the action of the centrifugal force, the lever with the turntable mounted thereon is tilted to an inclined position with the result that the turntable rotates in a sharply inclined plane.
  • a trolley is guided along a fixed curved girder of quadrant section, the trolley carrying a turntable on the periphery of which the passenger carriers are provided.
  • the trolley When the trolley is disposed at the lower, substantially horizontally extending end of the girder, the turntable assumes a substantially horizontal position in which the passenger carriers can be boarded.
  • the trolley which is provided with a drive, climbs upwardly by means of a rack-and pinion transmission extending along the girder, the horizontal plane of rotation of the turntable being thus converted into a substantially vertical plane of rotation.
  • a plurality of girders with their associated trolleys and frames are connected at one end at regular intervals to a central hub rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, their upwardly extending other ends being connected to a closed stiffening rim; the hub is driven by a driving unit, preferably by a d.c. motor with regenerative speed control known as Ward-Leonard system.
  • the individual frames are provided with a hub, mounted on the trolley, rigid with radially outwardly extending curved stirrups from the free ends of which the passenger cabins are pivotally suspended.
  • the passenger cabins are advantageously of streamlined construction simulating space craft.
  • curved girders are provided at regular intervals on the central hub, a trolley with four suspended passenger cabins being guided on each girder.
  • 20 passenger cabins each accommodating a plurality of persons are thus provided. It is thus possible to convey approximately 60 to persons per journey, the particular advantage afforded residing in that all the persons are able to board the merry-go-round within the brief time when it is in its neutral position.
  • a large, preferably rotatable, spherical device simulating, for example, the moon may be provided at the center of the merry-go-round according to the invention, the system thus imparting the impression of circling around a planet.
  • This impression may be intensified by giving the passenger cabins a streamlined construction simulating space craft.
  • the joint connecting the passenger cabin to the frame may be constructed as a ball-and-socket or other universal joint to produce swinging or rotating movements effective in various planes.
  • the joint is advantageously provided with a pin rotatable about a vertical axis, the pin absorbing the weight of the frame. Since centrifugal forces act upon the passenger cabins in various planes, the individual cabins can adjust themselves freely to such forces by virtue of their suspended, pendulum-like mounting.
  • the feed drive for the trolley guided on the girder is at least partially mounted within the girder constructed as a hollow section.
  • the cavity of the girder advantageously contains a lifting or first motor, preferably of pneumatic type, whose piston assembly is connected to the trolley by flexible members.
  • the piston is advantageously assembled from a plurality of spaced discs provided with air passages and carrying collar-shaped or sleeve-like rings on both faces, the border zones of the rings being turned over in opposite directions to form closed chambers.
  • the piston rods consist preferably of connecting rods or pitmans linked together, their joints being provided with rollers guided on the inside wall of the girder in the manner of a trolley.
  • a guide wheel for a traction chain or similar drawing means is provided at the free end of the piston rod, one end of the chain or the like being secured to the girder, its other end being secured to the trolley carrying the frame.
  • the drag chain or the like is connected to the trolley carrying the frame, passing over a guide wheel into the cavity of the girder and through the girder to a driving wheel which is driven by an electric motor.
  • the driving wheel which is preferably mounted within the girder, is provided with a safety element, preferably of synthetic resin, embracing the wheel to prevent disengagement of the chain.
  • the drag chain cannot be prevented from getting into frictional contact with the girder at least in places.
  • the resulting difficulties are avoided by providing the friction surfaces of the girder, contacted by the drag chain or the like, with a sliding layer preferably made of synthetic resin.
  • the sliding layer is preferably provided on the outwardly directed side of the girder.
  • the practical realization of the ideas underlying the invention involves the difficulty of producing a curved girder which, on the one hand, is a suitable guide for the trolley carrying the passenger carriers and, on the other hand, is adequately sealed for the pressure medium to enable it to shift the loaded trolley.
  • this difficulty is solved in that the girder is assembled from two curved, flanged girder halves of U-section.
  • guide rails for the trolley rollers are connected to the peripheries of the flanges, the securing means for the rails serving at the same time as connecting elements of the flanges.
  • this problem is solved by mounting the hub provided with the girders on a rotatable telescopic column or post mounted on a base and connected to a spherical framework enclosed with play by the girders, for example in the zone of the lower hemisphere.
  • the spherical frame consists advantageously of spoked hoops of various diameters which are interconnected by curved webs or cross-members.
  • the spherical framework is covered with a skin assembled from spherical segments which may have profiled surfaces.
  • the special method consists in that a spoked hoop of the smallest diameter forming the pole of the sphere is initially secured to the upper edge of the retracted column, whereupon the column is partially extended and the next-lower spoked hoop is then secured to the extended section of the column, braced with stays or struts and covered with skin segments, the remaining sections of the framework and of the skin being assembled in the same manner as the column is progressively extended step by step, the dismantling being effected in the reverse order.
  • a particularly suitable telescopic column for carrying out the method according to the invention consists in that its interior, which is largely sealed off from the outside, is connected to a pneumatic pressure source and the individual telescoped hollow cylinders of the column are mechanically locked in the extended position.
  • the pneumatic pressure merely has the purpose of performing the job of lifting the individual cylinders of the column until they are in the extended position in which they can be mechanically interconnected. Moreover, the lifting device of this specific construction affords the advantage of acting as a means for preventing accidents, since the compressed air acts as a damping cushion when the individual cylinders of the column are lowered. Leakage between the cylinders of the column plays no particular part, since the air escaping at these locations is immediately replaced from the pneumatic pressure source.
  • FIG. 1 is a side view of a merry-go-round according to the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a corresponding side view of the merry-goround provided with a sphere simulating the moon;
  • FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic partial view of a passenger carrier pivotally suspended from a frame holder
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-section through a curved girder of the merry-go-round
  • FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the girder shown in FIG. 4;
  • FIG. 6 is a side elevation of a modified construction of the curved girder shown in FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a telescopic column with a spherical segment secured thereto;
  • FIG. 8 is a sectional elevation on an enlarged scale.
  • FIG. 1 The construction illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a hemispherical framework including a plurality of semicircular curved beams or girders 1 extending over arcs of 90, these beams defining quadrantal guidetracks for respective trolleys 2 with frames 3 supporting passenger cabins 4.
  • the inner ends of the curved girders 1 are connected to a common hub 5 at the nadir of the hemispherical framework which is rotatable about a vertical axis 6.
  • the outer ends of the girders 1 are securely connected to an equatorial reinforcing ring or hoop to form a rotatable, cage-like framework in which the centrifugal forces generated by the passenger carriers 4 balance each other out to a substantial extent.
  • the hub 5 is connected to a driving unit 8, for example a direct-current motor with a lossless speed regulator of the Ward Leonard type.
  • a driving unit 8 for example a direct-current motor with a lossless speed regulator of the Ward Leonard type.
  • the hub is mounted on a carriage 9, which, through props or supports 10, forms a base or foundation of suitable dimensions for the merry-go-round according to the invention.
  • the carriage 9 carries, in addition, a platform 11 to facilitate the boarding of the passenger cabins 4.
  • the passenger cabins 4 are initially in the neutral position 12 in which they can be boarded.
  • the driving unit 8 then starts to turn the hub 5, and thus the girders 1, about the vertical axis 6.
  • a drive (not shown in FIG. 1) moves the trolley 2 upwardly along the curved girders 1 with the result that the passenger cabins pass from the horizontal plane of motion, assumed in the neutral position 12 to the traveling position 13.
  • the passenger cabins 4 are pivotally suspended pendulum-fashion from the frame 3, their angle of inclination is automatically adjusted anywhere along the girders 1 according to the magnitude of the centrifugal forces acting upon them.
  • the frames 3 are mounted in the trolley 2 so as to be rotatable about their axis 17 and are caused to rotate by a motor 18, so that each frame 3 with the passenger cabins 4 suspended therefrom rotates additionally about its own axis 1? as it revolves about the main axis 6 of the apparatus.
  • the passenger cabin is thus subjected to a three-dimensional centrifugal movement with the result that the thrill experienced by the passengers is considerably intensified.
  • girders 1 Any desired number of girders 1 may be used. Four girders are provided in the illustrated construction;
  • each girder carrying a trolley with four passenger cabins is particularly convenient.
  • FIG. 2 shows a particularly advantageous embodi ment of the invention in which the girders encloses a spherical structure 14 provided with a specially profiled surface 15.
  • the sphere 14 may be so designed as to simulate the moon, the merry-go-round thus conveying the impression of a landing on the moon; a lunar module 16 or the like is simulated in the upper half of the sphere 14.
  • the sphere 14 may also be'driven about the vertical axis 6 of FIG. 1, preferably in the opposite direction to the rotational movement of the girders.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates the means'by which the individual passenger cabins 4 may be pivotally suspended from the frame 3.
  • the frame 3 is provided with curved stirrups 19 converging in a rotatable common hub mounted in the trolley 2.
  • the free end of each stirrup 19 carries a coupling 20 enabling a three-dimensional yielding of the passenger cabin 4'to the influence of various forces.
  • a pin 21 rotatable in a bearing 22 is mounted in the stirrup l9 aspart of a stop 23 for the absorption of load.
  • Thepin 21 carries a universal joint 24 from which the passenger cabin 4 is suspended.
  • the universal joint 24 enables the passenger cabin to swing pendulum-fashion in two intersecting directions. Since the pin 21 is mounted so as to be rotatable in the stirrup 10, the yielding capacity of the passenger cabin 4 is increased by one degree of freedom.
  • the passenger cabin 4 simulates a space craft having sufficient room .for several persons. It will be understood that passenger cabins of any other shape may be used, for example specially secured swing seats of the kind used in chain merry-go-round.
  • FIGS. 4 to 6 show modifications of the construction of the girder 1 according to the invention and two alternative constructions of the drive used for the trolley 2.
  • Sleeve-like rings 36 which are turned over in alternately opposite directions toward the inner surface of the girder l, are provided in the peripheral area of the discs on both sides thereof.
  • a pressure forcing the sleeves 36 with sealing action against the inner surfaces of the girder is built up in the spaces between the discs 34 by the compressed air flowing through the openings 35.
  • a piston of polygonal cross-section can be moved with adequate sealing action in a curved girder of corresponding section. This involves, however, the additional problem of how to transmit the axial movement to the trolley 2.
  • FIG. I provide a flexible piston rod whose guide rollers 40 are guided in the girder 1.
  • the guide rollers 40 are mounted on the one hand on a central trolley 39 and on the other hand on articulated connecting rods or pitmans 37, which are linked to the piston 33 and to the trolley 39 at 38-.
  • the free end of the flexible linkage-37-39 externally carries a rotatable sprocket wheel 41, acting as a deflecting roller, over which there is passed a drag or traction chain 42 whose one end 43 is secured to the girder 1, its other end being connected to the trolley 2 not shown in FIG. 5.
  • a stepup transmission is obtained in which the distance covered by the trolley corresponds to twice the stroke length of the piston 33.
  • the traction chain 43 is guided along the periphery of the girder 1.
  • the girder 1 is covered at the point of contact with a sliding layer 44, see also FIG. 4, which may consist, for exam ple, of synthetic-resin tapes or the like mounted thereon.
  • the sliding or antifriction layer 44 may also form a lateral guide forrthe chain 42.
  • FIG. 6 shows an alternative construction of drive for I the trolley 2.
  • a guide wheel 45 is mounted within the curved girder l at the upper end thereof and is enveloped by a chain 42, one strand of which extends along the periphery of the girder l to the trolley 2, the other strand extending within the girder 1 to a wheel 46'which is driven by a driving motor 47.
  • the drive acts in the manner of a winch; the end of the chain extending beyond the driving wheel 46 may be wound up on a drum.
  • the driving motor 47 is advantageously combined with brake of a suitable construction which operates when the trolley 2 is to be returned from the traveling position 13 shown in FIG. 1 to the neutral position 12.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates the manner in which a spherical structure 14 of the kind illustrated in FIG. 2 may be mounted so as to be rotatable and may, moreover, be readily assembled and dismantled.
  • a rotatable telescopic column 48 is mounted by a ball-and-socket swivel joint 50 on a base 49 formed, for example, by a carriage 9 of the kind shown in FIG. 1.
  • the rotating part of the ball-bearing swivel joint 50 may be: driven in known manner by a rotatory motor 68.
  • the telescopic column 48 consists of individual hollow cylinders 58 to 67 which may be lifted by introducing compressed air into the bottom tube 67 having the largest diameter.
  • a compressed-air inlet 69 is connected to the lower cylinder 67 for this purpose.
  • a sphere of a very large diameter of thisconstruction can be assembled and dismantled within a short time without any difficulty.
  • the telescopic column 48 is in the retracted position.
  • the dismantling of the sphere proceeds in the reverse orders, that is to say the elements of the spherical frame 51 connected to the hollow cylinder 66 of the column are first removed, whereupon the mechanical locking device between the hollow cylinders 66 and 67 of the column is released while maintaining the air pressure, and the total column 48 with the sphere secured thereto is lowered until the cylinder 66 has reached the bottom of the lowermost cylinder 67 of the column.
  • the work is continued step by step until the uppermost hollow cylinder 58 has been lowered to its normal position.
  • a merry-go-round comprising:
  • a hub mounted on said base for rotation about a vertical axis
  • hoist means for individually displacing said trolleys along their guidetracks between the vicinity of said hub and said elevated level
  • each of said trolleys is provided with a swivelable frame having a plurality of arms, a passenger cabin being universally jointed to each of said arms.
  • said hoist means further comprises a flexible linkage displaceable along said girder and following the curvature thereof, a deflecting roller at an upper end of said linkage and fluid-operable piston means engaging a lower end of said linkage for driving same outwardly.
  • said piston means comprises a set of axially spaced perforated disks hugging the inner wall surface of said beam.
  • each guidetrack includes an antifriction layer on the beam contacted by said linkage.

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US61233A 1970-06-26 1970-08-05 Merry-go-round Expired - Lifetime US3698710A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19702031547 DE2031547A1 (de) 1970-06-26 1970-06-26 Karussell

Publications (1)

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US3698710A true US3698710A (en) 1972-10-17

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US61233A Expired - Lifetime US3698710A (en) 1970-06-26 1970-08-05 Merry-go-round

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US3698710A (de)
JP (1) JPS5020487B1 (de)
AT (1) AT304335B (de)
CA (1) CA920623A (de)
CH (1) CH531889A (de)
DE (1) DE2031547A1 (de)
FR (1) FR2095424A5 (de)
GB (1) GB1311168A (de)
NL (1) NL7010367A (de)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4100019A1 (de) * 1990-01-10 1991-07-25 Peter Petz Absenkbares riesenrad
US20040160059A1 (en) * 2003-02-18 2004-08-19 Pandian Shunmugham Rajasekara Pneumatic human power conversion system based on children's play
US20080252180A1 (en) * 2007-04-02 2008-10-16 Ben Stephen Markham Electricity Generating Playground Equipment and Method
US8641542B2 (en) 2009-09-04 2014-02-04 William J. Kitchen Stationary track with gimbaled rider carriages amusement ride
WO2017100005A1 (en) * 2015-12-10 2017-06-15 Landscape Structures Inc Rotating climbing unit

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2530771C2 (de) * 1975-07-10 1985-07-25 Helmut 2800 Bremen Kastner Karussell mit einer ringförmigen Führungsbahn
JPS5499386U (de) * 1977-12-23 1979-07-13

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4100019A1 (de) * 1990-01-10 1991-07-25 Peter Petz Absenkbares riesenrad
US20040160059A1 (en) * 2003-02-18 2004-08-19 Pandian Shunmugham Rajasekara Pneumatic human power conversion system based on children's play
US7005757B2 (en) * 2003-02-18 2006-02-28 Shunmugham Rajasekara Pandian Pneumatic human power conversion system based on children's play
US20080252180A1 (en) * 2007-04-02 2008-10-16 Ben Stephen Markham Electricity Generating Playground Equipment and Method
US8641542B2 (en) 2009-09-04 2014-02-04 William J. Kitchen Stationary track with gimbaled rider carriages amusement ride
WO2017100005A1 (en) * 2015-12-10 2017-06-15 Landscape Structures Inc Rotating climbing unit
US9868069B2 (en) 2015-12-10 2018-01-16 Landscape Structures Inc. Rotating climbing unit

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS5020487B1 (de) 1975-07-15
DE2031547A1 (de) 1971-12-30
CA920623A (en) 1973-02-06
FR2095424A5 (de) 1972-02-11
AT304335B (de) 1972-12-27
NL7010367A (de) 1971-12-28
GB1311168A (en) 1973-03-21
CH531889A (de) 1972-12-31

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