WO2011042015A1

WO2011042015A1 - Amusement facility for catapulting upward and/or dropping

Info

Publication number: WO2011042015A1
Application number: PCT/DE2010/075101
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rupert Habersatter
Original assignee: Rupert Habersatter
Priority date: 2009-10-05
Filing date: 2010-10-01
Publication date: 2011-04-14
Also published as: DE102009048204A1; WO2011042015A4

Abstract

The invention relates to an amusement facility for catapulting upward and/or dropping a people carrier (1) or car, the people carrier or car being arranged so as to be movable in the vertical direction, comprising a cable (2) under a tensile load, wherein said cable at least extends between a location (20) above the people carrier (1) and a lower location (3), which is arranged below the people carrier (1) and at a horizontal offset relative to the upper location (20). The cable (2) is redirected on a deflecting roller (10) that is freely rotatably supported on the people carrier (1), and the cable section (2B) leading therefrom to the lower location (3) extends at an angle.

Description

Amusement facility for catapulting and / or dropping up

The invention relates to an amusement system for catapulting upwards and / or dropping along the vertical movably arranged person holder or cabin.

Such a system allows the experience of up-catapulting and / or free fall in a secure device, and is therefore particularly suitable as a ride z. For example, at fairs, but also for permanent installation and thus as a stationary attraction, such as in an adventure and amusement park.

In leisure and adventure parks, there are nowadays many devices that allow people to free fall or the feeling of weightlessness. These include bungee jumping, parachuting, base jumping, the parabolic flight, the Free Fall Tower, the Skyshot and many other similar amusement facilities. In many of these systems, a great deal of constructional effort must be made for adequate safety. Often the energy consumption is high. Other systems are labor-intensive or the operation must be adjusted from the side in strong wind.

From DE 102 52 097 A1, an amusement system for catapulting upwards and dropping a person holder movably arranged along the vertical is known. On the person support the ends of two ropes are fixed, which are guided on the middle of their length over the top of crane arms arranged pulleys. By pulling on the ropes these are shortened, at the same time the person support between the crane arms catapult-like shot up, and intercepted by the subsequent fall through the ropes again. Prerequisite for the interception is an exact control of the rope length during operation, because the rope length must be set so short that the person holder is safely caught at the bottom of the ropes again.

The invention is based on the object to propose an amusement system, in which the safe braking of the free-fall person holder is possible without intervention in the control of the cable prestressing and / or the effective rope length. In order to give the audience the feeling of strong acceleration or deceleration in a safe design of the system, a system for upwardly catapulting and / or dropping along the vertical movably arranged person support or cabin is proposed, with a standing under tensile load rope, which extends at least

- between a place above the person holder,

- And a lower location, which is arranged horizontally offset below the person support and with respect to the upper location, wherein the cable is deflected on a freely rotatably mounted on the person support pulley, and the leading from there to the lower location cable section is inclined.

Such amusement system works very safe and allows experiencing the up-catapulting and / or the free fall in a safe braking even without costly control of the rope pretension and / or the effective rope length enabling device.

The course of a journey begins with the boarding of the passengers. These are secured by seat belts at each seat. The application of the seat belts is detected by sensors, only then takes place the start. After all passengers have taken place, first the total weight of the person support or cabin is detected in order to calculate the necessary biasing force of the ropes from the computer. Also measured is the wind speed at the highest point of the amusement park. If this remains below a limit, the release takes place.

Then, while the person holder is still locked, the ropes are biased until the calculated preload force is reached. The holding device triggers, causing the person support is shot up, about in a height up to 250 m.

At the upper point of the ride, a controlled braking can take place when the upper cable sections are spread outwards above the person support. This is achieved by the upper attachment points each having a greater distance than the rope deflecting pulleys on the person support. The seats of the passengers can be rotatably mounted. When accelerating upwards, the passengers lie or lie supine, whereas in the subsequent free fall, the prone position is established, while during the final braking, the seats in turn turn into the supine position.

If a closed passenger cabin is used, this can be designed as opaque hood to enhance the feeling of weightlessness in the passengers yet. Also, a video camera can be on board to hold the mines of the passengers.

When using several parallel ropes, no critical situation can arise even in the case of a cable break. In order to prevent a "knock-around" of the broken rope, the tensioning device is housed in a closed housing, or covered by strong nets.

The winches of the tensioning device are permanently monitored. In an emergency, the passenger cabin is lowered down to the entry point. A fraction of the pulleys can be counteracted with a corresponding safety device, such as a bracket, and an emergency stop device.

Another advantage of using multiple, parallel ropes is further that the amusement system can then withstand stronger wind pressure.

As part of securing the system against accidents, it is impossible for guests and staff to touch any moving parts of the system, such as through appropriate pedestals or safety fences.

Further preferred embodiments of the amusement system are specified in the subclaims.

Embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to schematic drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a complete ride according to a first embodiment and Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the ride according to a second embodiment.

A person holder 1, which can also be designed as an open or closed passenger cabin, is in two or more, z. B. four or six, essentially inelastic ropes 2 out. Each two of the cables 2 are at an angle apart, d. H. non-parallel from a stationary upper object 6, such. As a skyscraper, a tower, a crane, a ledge or the like down, where they are guided at least at the bottom, also stationary location 3 via pulleys to a jig. The distance of the cables 2 to each other is lower on the upper cable section (distance 4) than on the lower, inclined cable section (distance 5).

The ropes 2 are by a tensioning device 7, z. As a winch or hydraulic, tensioned and set under traction. About a pulley system 8 is also an elastic component 9, z. As tension springs, pneumatics, hydraulics or the like introduced into the cable system to keep the ropes under resilient tensile load.

If the cables 2 are stretched, the person holder 1, which is guided along the cable with large deflection rollers 10, attempts to avoid the kinking point of the cable due to the resulting forces, and moves upwards. If the person holder 1 or cabin is held down and meanwhile increases the rope tension, the person holder 1 is literally catapulted when released to the air, so it moves with strong acceleration upwards.

If you let, however, starting from their highest position, the person holder 1 fall from above into the prestressed ropes 2, the person holder 1 is automatically braked in the ropes, namely the closer the person holder 1 comes to the ground due to the increasing rope tension.

With the described device, therefore, people can be catapulted into the air and / or experience a free fall with automatic, safe braking.

For the boarding and disembarking of the passengers in or out of the person holder 1 or cabin, the relevant, between the locations 3 and 20 measured rope length of the ropes 2 by decreasing the tensioning device 7 extend such that the person holder 1 to the height of a Lowering entry podium 1 1. For catapulting upwards, the cabin is first by a holding device 12, z. B. by strong magnets, fixed to the ground at the level of the entry platform 1 1, and the ropes 2 are first tensioned by means of the tensioning device 7. If the correct cable tension is reached, the holding device releases 12 free, and the person holder 1 shoots with multiple acceleration of gravity upwards, and then fall downwards in free fall. In this falling-down the person holder 1 is automatically and safely braked in the ropes 2 by the construction principle described above.

Alternatively, the person holder 1 can be pulled up by a winch 13 and a tow truck 14, if only the free fall is to be performed. This is electronically controlled so that the winch 13 can be activated only at the correct cable tension. The person holder 1 is hung by a device 15 to the tractor 14, which automatically triggers when reaching the highest point and / or stopping the winch 13, or after receiving a separate trigger signal.

2, another simplified embodiment of an amusement system is shown. At the same time, this presentation serves to illustrate the constructional principle. In the embodiment of Fig. 2 are not two or more ropes arranged symmetrically, but it is a rope 2 braced only to one side. Of course, several such ropes can be performed in parallel here. Due to this one-sided design, a vertical guide 17 is additionally required. The vertical guide 17 is shown here as a slender mast, but it may also be z. B. to act a rail or other guide element on which the person holder 1, z. B. by means of corresponding rollers 19, is guided.

The rope 2 extends in total at least from the upper location 20 to the lower location 3. Its effective length is made up of the sum of the lengths of the upper cable section 2A between upper location 20 and guide roller 10, and the lower, oblique cable section 2B between guide roller 10th and lower place 3 together. The cable sections 2A, 2B merge into one another on the deflection roller 10, so that there, viewed geometrically, a kind of kink is present. However, this is due to a correspondingly large diameter of the guide roller 10 rather a transitional rounding.

The adjustment of the effective length of the rope 2 between the locations 3, 20 can be done either above by adjusting the rope length L1, or below by adjusting the rope length L2. Alternatively, it is also possible to provide for changing the effective rope length both above and below corresponding clamping devices. In practice, As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the adjustment of the cable length or its bias down done, so that the upper end of the rope 2 is anchored at location 20 fixed.

The upper cable section 2A extends in a steep orientation, and preferably vertically. By contrast, the lower cable section 2B extends in a clearly oblique orientation outwards as far as the lower location 3. The lower location 3 is preferably arranged in a fixed position, in each case being offset horizontally outwards with respect to the upper location 20.

The lower location 3 is formed by a freely rotatable deflection roller 3, on which the cable 2 is deflected inwards in the direction of the vertical guide 17 and guided to the tensioning device 7. In this setting and changing the rope length and thus the effective rope length, i. the sum of the rope lengths 2A and 2B.

Since, as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, part of the tensioning device 7 is also at least one elastic component 9, the person holder 1 is caught in the rope 2 when falling down. Because this changes the effective rope length due to the resilient yielding of the elastic component 9, at the same time changing the aspect ratio of the divided on the guide roller 10 cable sections 2A, 2B. The slowdown is therefore progressive and the stronger, the farther the person holder 1 lowers its own weight and inertia. The device therefore operates automatically self-braking, without, by controlling the tensioning device, would have to intervene in regulating the deceleration characteristic.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

Person support, cabin

rope

A upper rope section

B lower rope section

lower place, pulley

Distance above

Distance below

object

jig

pulley system

elastic component

0 pulley

1 entrance podium

2 holding device

3 winch

4 tow trucks

5 device

7 vertical guide

9 rollers

0 upper place

Claims

claims

1 . Amusement apparatus for catapulting and / or dropping a person support (1) or cabin movably arranged along the vertical, with a cable (2) under tensile load, which extends at least between a location (20) above the person support (1) , and a lower location (3), which is arranged horizontally offset below the person support (1) and with respect to the upper location (20), wherein the cable (2) on a on the person support (1) freely rotatably mounted deflection roller (1). 10) is deflected, and from there to the lower location (3) leading cable section (2B) is inclined.

2. amusement system according to claim 1, characterized in that the rope (2) at the upper location (20) is firmly anchored.

3. amusement system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lower place (3) is formed by a deflection roller.

4. amusement system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a total of two pulleys (10) on the person support (1) guided ropes, of the pulleys (10) to the respective lower place (3) leading cable sections (2B) spread apart run.

5. amusement system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rope (2) at the lower location (3) is deflected to a tensioning device (7), with which the effective rope length between the upper (20) and lower (3) Change place.

6. amusement system according to claim 5, characterized in that part of the tensioning device (7) is at least one elastic component (9).

7. amusement system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the person holder (1) by means of the tensioning device (7) to the height of a boarding pedestal (1 1) is lowered.

8. Amusement system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the person holder (1) with a towing vehicle (14), which is also guided on the cable (2), by means of a winch (13) can be pulled upwards.

9. amusement system according to claim 8, characterized in that between the tow truck (14) and the person holder (1) arranged device (15) on reaching the highest point and / or stopping the winch (13) automatically triggers and the free fall initiates.