U.S. patent application number 16/757831 was filed with the patent office on 2021-06-24 for amusement ride comprising and/or for vehicles.
This patent application is currently assigned to ROLLER COASTERRESTAURANT GMBH & CO. KG. The applicant listed for this patent is ROLLER COASTERRESTAURANT GMBH & CO. KG. Invention is credited to MICHAEL MACK.
Application Number | 20210187401 16/757831 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005446638 |
Filed Date | 2021-06-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210187401 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MACK; MICHAEL |
June 24, 2021 |
AMUSEMENT RIDE COMPRISING AND/OR FOR VEHICLES
Abstract
An amusement ride or course for vehicles with their own driving
and control options, on a carriageway. The amusement ride having at
least one zone, in which at least one participating vehicle driving
autonomously on the carriageway is guided, by means of retaining
and/or guide means, along a pre-defined route in a pre-defined
route section designed as an attraction. The vehicle having
retaining means or leading means for a corresponding reversible
connection to the guide means and/or retaining means of the
installation, by which retaining--and/or leading means the vehicle
is guided and/or retained through the zone, and the retaining means
and/or guide means on the vehicle correspondingly interlocked with
and released from the retaining--and/or guide means of the
installation during a movement-or--journey of the vehicle in the
zone.
Inventors: |
MACK; MICHAEL; (Nuremberg,
Germany, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ROLLER COASTERRESTAURANT GMBH & CO. KG |
Wien |
|
AT |
|
|
Assignee: |
ROLLER COASTERRESTAURANT GMBH &
CO. KG
Wien
AT
|
Family ID: |
1000005446638 |
Appl. No.: |
16/757831 |
Filed: |
October 22, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
October 22, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2018/000480 |
371 Date: |
April 21, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63G 25/00 20130101;
A63G 7/00 20130101; A63G 21/12 20130101; A63G 21/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63G 21/12 20060101
A63G021/12; A63G 21/04 20060101 A63G021/04; A63G 25/00 20060101
A63G025/00; A63G 7/00 20060101 A63G007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 26, 2017 |
DE |
10 2017 009 996.0 |
Jan 25, 2018 |
DE |
10 2018 000 589.6 |
Claims
1.-27. (canceled)
28. An amusement ride, for vehicles with their own drive and
control capability, on a carriageway route, comprising: an
amusement course having at least one zone (1), in which at least
one participating vehicle (3) driving on the carriageway route is
guided, by retaining guide means (6, 7, 11, 12, 16), along a
pre-defined route (2, 2') in a pre-defined route section designed
as an attraction; the at least one participating vehicle having
retaining leading means (4, 4') for a corresponding reversible
connection to the retaining guide means of the amusement course, by
which said retaining leading means the vehicle is guided and
retained through the zone; and the retaining leading means on the
at least one vehicle are correspondingly configured to interlock
with and release from the retaining guide means of the amusement
course during a movement of the at least one vehicle in said zone
on the amusement course.
29. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, wherein: said
pre-defined route (2, 2') further comprises in at least one section
(2, 2') at least one of a looping (15), an upside-down route, a
spiral route, and a steep face route, which is configured to be
driven through using said at least one participating vehicle and is
designed as an attraction.
30. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, wherein: the
amusement ride further consists of: a plurality of successively
arranged attraction turning routes for said vehicles that are each
arranged at the ends of said amusement ride and a driving back and
forth of the vehicles on this at least one attraction route passes
at least two of said plurality of successively arranged attraction
turning routes.
31. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, further comprising:
at least one zone (1) designed with at least one funnel-shaped
access area and an acceleration route (2); and wherein said
retaining leading means (4, 4') are attached to the vehicle (3) at
a thread or an interlock during an entry into the attraction
turning route on the acceleration route corresponding to the
retaining guide means (6, 7, 11, 12, 16) of the installation of the
zone and are released or threaded out in an exit area.
32. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, wherein: the zone is
designed as an attraction route and is equipped with at least one
resting area (2, 13) for a plurality of wheels (10) of the vehicle
configured as a lane (13).
33. The amusement ride, according to claim 31, wherein: the
retaining guide means are arranged on the attraction route
depicting the route; the retaining guide means are provided in a
profile configuration; and said profile configuration including at
least one of a U-profile (12), a rail profile, a pipe element
profile, a groove profile, or a grasping means profile for the
retaining leading means (4) attached to the vehicle configured to
securely keep the vehicle along the attraction route.
34. The amusement ride, according to claim 33, further comprising:
pairs of front and rear wheels on said vehicle; said front wheels
having a wheel width; said carriageway route having opposed
recesses having a recess width; and said recess width configured to
receive said wheel width and guide and stabilize said vehicle
during a use of said amusement ride along said amusement
course.
35. The amusement ride, course, according to claim 34, wherein:
said vehicle further comprising a supporting structure; said
retaining leading means attached to said support structure of said
vehicle; and said retaining leading means attached to the vehicle
configured to be at least one of rotatably-mounted, spring-mounted,
and cylindrical-mounted means that are fixed to at least one of
said supporting structure of the vehicle and said retaining leading
means (4, 4').
36. The amusement ride, according to claim 35, wherein: at least
one of said pair of front wheels and said rear wheels being drive
wheels of said vehicle; and the retaining leading means (4)
attached to the vehicle are configured as cylindrical means that
are spring-and-rotatably mounted to the vehicle and which are
pressed on at least two of said wheels of the vehicle when
threading in the acceleration route to the attraction route and can
be moved by the drive wheels when travelling through the attraction
route.
37. The amusement ride, according to claim 36, wherein: the at
least one retaining leading means (4') attached to the vehicle is
configured to be a rotatably mounted rolling element in a front
lower area of the vehicle; and said rotatably mounted rolling
element, upon entering the acceleration route or attraction route,
grasps onto a guide along said pre-defined route (2, 2') and
engages in a reversible manner and glides out of this at the exit
area.
38. The amusement ride, according to claim 37, wherein: the
rotatably mounted rolling element (4') is arranged at a middle of
said front lower area of the vehicle and, during the entry of the
vehicle to said amusement course, engages into the guide along said
pre-defined route (2, 2') through at least the attraction route;
and wherein at least one of said pair of front wheels of the
vehicle is raised at least in sections along said pre-defined
route.
39. The amusement ride, according to claim 36, wherein: the at
least one retaining leading means (4') is attached to the vehicle
at an underside of the vehicle; and when said vehicle enters said
acceleration route (2) said at least one retaining leading means
(4') engages in a reversible manner into a guide on the carriageway
of the attraction route and glides said vehicle out of it in the
exit area.
40. The amusement ride, according to claim 35, wherein: the
retaining leading means attached to the vehicle are configured as
protruding guide means (4) protruding beyond said pairs of wheels
of said vehicle.
41. The amusement ride, according to claim 35, wherein: the
retaining leading means attached to the vehicle are configured as
vehicle attached elements; said vehicle attached elements are
configured with an adjustable contact device and at least one
rotatable mounting connecting means connecting with the retaining
guide means in said attraction turning route.
42. The amusement ride, according to claim 41, wherein: the vehicle
is equipped with one of a roll bar and a roll cage (5); at a top
side of said at least one of said roll bar and a roll cage (5) is
at least one retaining guide element; and said at least one
retaining guide element is configured to engage to said guide means
(6, 7) along the attraction turning route whereby said vehicle is
retained during a journing along said attraction turning route in
an inverted position.
43. The amusement ride, according to claim 42, wherein: the
vehicles are electric vehicles.
44. The amusement ride, according to claim 28, wherein: the
vehicles are remotely controlled vehicles configured to be remotely
controlled for acceleration effect and braking effect.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to amusement rides or an amusement
ride comprising and/or for vehicles, in particular, amusement rides
with vehicles, which can be autonomously controlled and driven at
least in zones by the visitors of the of the amusement ride and
which are designed with at least one attraction route or an
attraction area.
[0002] In particular, the invention relates to amusement rides in
which the vehicles are not permanently moved thereby being guided
on rails, as is known from trains, rail vehicles or in special
roller coasters. The amusement ride according to the invention is
designed as a single attraction or as courses, a race track, or
similar.
[0003] Amusement rides, in particular, for recreation, are
adequately well known and range from simple rail vehicles or
trains, which are used for transporting visitors, to various
embodiments for passing through parks or corresponding areas, all
the way to high-speed rail vehicles or roller coasters with
increasingly more spectacular route sections. Amusement rides or
courses with the option for the visitors to drive vehicles
themselves and thus also to drive for or organize races,
competitions or similar against each other are also known. Here,
suitable vehicles, such as in the case of a bumper car area for
example, are independently controlled by the visitors and moved
over a limited area. Another variant in which the vehicles can be
moved by the visitors themselves include different embodiments of
go-kart courses or racetracks, which are designed as indoor or
outdoor variants, and which allow for a greater feeling and
pleasure to be perceived from one's driving.
[0004] In the case of race courses, race tracks or go-kart courses,
in particular, the needs for the routes and for the vehicles have
sharply increased, particular in terms of their performance and
speed. The visitors and drivers of the vehicles in the amusement
rides particularly want an attractive and spectacular route or
opportunities for the corresponding tournaments with the other
visitors of the amusement ride. For this purpose, corresponding
spectacular routes or attractions, such as those known in
particular from rail-guided amusement rides, would be desirable,
wherein the safety of the amusement ride must not be neglected.
[0005] The object of the present invention is to create an
amusement ride in which vehicles can be controlled, accelerated and
braked by the visitors by themselves to the furthest extent
possible and which is designed with at least one area with an
attraction route, as these are known from rail-bound amusement
rides, such as roller coasters or similar.
[0006] This task is achieved by means of the features of Patent
Claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further embodiments are
specified in the dependent claims.
[0007] According to the invention, an amusement ride, course, race
track, or similar is, in particular, for vehicles with their own
driving and control options, on a carriageway and/or route, the
amusement ride, course, race track or similar installation having
at least one zone, in which at least one participating vehicle
driving in a controlled manner on the carriageway and/or route is
guided, by retaining means and/or guide means, along a pre-defined
route in a pre-defined route section designed as an attraction, and
the vehicle having retaining means and/or leading means for a
corresponding reversible connection to the guide means and/or
retaining means of the installation, by which retaining and/or
leading means the vehicle is guided and/or retained through the
zone, and the retaining means and/or guide means on the vehicle are
correspondingly interlocked with and released from the retaining
and/or guide means of the installation during the movement and/or
journey of the vehicle in said zone on the installation.
[0008] The amusement ride is either designed as a complete
recreational and/or sports, in particular, motorsport area and/or
go-kart track or go-kart course or in a variant as a pure
attraction route with just the attraction area. Here, different
embodiments according to the invention are possible, such as
extensions and/or additions of various tracks such as race tracks
or, for example, go-kart courses indoors as well as outdoors, race
tracks such as for the DTM, Formula 1 or other classes or any other
track or course, which drive with corresponding vehicles or adapted
vehicles, which can even be temporarily adapted for this, through
spectacular attraction routes. The race tracks or courses can
continue to be unrestrictedly used for conventional events and can
be used in parallel as partial routes for vehicles, which
additionally drive through spectacular attraction routes in
designated zones. and are used for professional races as well as
for use by interested individuals or visitors. The entire route
section and/or only the zone with the attraction route section can
be integrated into an existing course or a race track in an
integrable and stationary manner, or can be built as an extension
for this or can be designed as temporary installation to be built
or dismantled at any time. In the case of the pure attraction
route, it can also be used temporarily as an amusement ride at
events for folk festivals or in amusement parks or as an addition
to existing race tracks and/or go-kart courses or other places.
[0009] According to the specification, the use of the amusement
ride according to the invention can be used as a single attraction
with the corresponding attraction route or the attraction route or
one or a plurality of attractions can be used in existing
facilities which can be integrated individually or in parallel with
a plurality of such attraction routes, thereby also making it
possible to host competitions with several participants driving in
parallel. Preferably, the attraction route is designed with an
upstream acceleration route integrated into this, before and/or in
which the vehicle is threaded into the retaining and/or guide means
of the track. The passage through a plurality of consecutively
arranged attraction routes is also provided for in a variant,
wherein it is possible to arrange the attractions directly one
after the other and the vehicle passes through these after a single
driving in and threading directly one after the other, or the
vehicle moves out of each attraction separately and threads into
the subsequent attraction route again accordingly.
[0010] The route section in the zone, which is designed as an
attraction, is preferably designed in such a way that the vehicles
from a carriageway or a track on which they can be moved freely
enter the zone and the vehicles are threaded on and/or into the
attraction route. The attraction route can have different
embodiments and/or route sections, such as a looping, a screw or
spiral guidance or an extreme steep face guidance and/or other
upside-down guidance or upside-down ride. As a particularly
attractive embodiment, in accordance with a further embodiment of
the invention, a corresponding go-kart course operated with
electric go-karts could be designed in a mall. Here, for example,
attractions could be built in such a way that the go-karts drive
partly along the walls or across the ceiling, visible to all mall
visitors. It would be conceivable here, according to another
variant, that there are two or a plurality of areas in the mall
where the race tracks and attractions are located; these could be
arranged also on different levels accordingly. During the race, the
go-karts would always get from one part of the race track, for
example on the walls or the ceiling along to the other area of the
race track. Thus, such a race could become an attraction for all
mall visitors. Such an embodiment is of course also possible and
feasible in amusement parks or all other installations.
[0011] The attraction route is preferably designed in such a way
that the vehicles are driven into the attraction route by the
drivers and, in this case, retaining means and/or leading means,
which are attached to the vehicle are threaded correspondingly into
the retaining and/or guide means of the attraction route. This
corresponding, reversible connection means that the vehicle can run
a rollover in a looping track, a screw or spiral route or an
extremely steep face without running the risk of falling down or
being thrown off the track. According to the invention, both the
route itself and the vehicles used can be equipped with a plurality
of stops and/or guide means and/or leading means.
[0012] In one embodiment, the area of the attraction route is
designed for this as a pure slab or as a chute-shaped carriageway
or as a lateral lane on which the vehicles are moved and wherein
the slab or the chute or the lanes is designed to be at least
somewhat wider than the track width of the vehicles. Above the slab
or the chute or strip, along the attraction route parallel and/or
integrated to the driving route, a boundary is arranged as a
retaining and/or guide means, to which the retaining means and/or
leading means of the vehicle correspond and guide the vehicle in a
motion through the attraction route without it falling out of the
attraction route or falling off during a rollover.
[0013] The retaining and/or guide means of the attraction route are
either designed as means that are parallel to the route, on which
the wheels of the vehicles are guided, or can be integrated into
the driving route and/or arranged along it. As means designed to be
parallel to the route, these are pipes, slabs, rails or similar
constructions, which correspond to the retaining means and/or
leading means on the vehicles. These retaining and/or guide means
of the route form, for example, in the case of a looping, a
parallel looping in diameter to the actual attraction route and are
arranged either only laterally or along the entire width of the
route or as rails parallel to the route or integrated in this. The
retaining and/or leading means on the vehicles are arranged
accordingly sideways on the vehicles or in the roof area or in the
substructure of the vehicles, for which these are preferably
equipped with at least a stable frame and/or roll bar.
[0014] In a version with on the vehicles arranged retaining means
and/or leading means in the roof area or preferably on or on a roll
cage or roll bars, these retaining and/or leading means correspond
to correspondingly distanced retaining and/or guide means of the
attraction route parallel to the route during the journey through
the attraction route. In one embodiment, at least two, preferably
rotatably mounted rolling elements with a groove are arranged on
the roof area or a rollover device of the vehicle, which
correspondingly thread in as a retaining and/or guide means section
designed as pipes or a rail parallel to the route and support the
vehicle on the roof area accordingly during rollover. In an
alternative embodiment, at least one rotatable roller is arranged
on the roof area of the vehicle and the retaining and/or guide
means along the attraction route is designed as a slab or support
strips parallel to the route on which the rollers are attached and
which support and hold the vehicle during rollover in the
looping.
[0015] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the
vehicle is equipped with at least two, sideways, right and left
mounted on the vehicle retaining means and/or leading means, which
are correspondingly designed with the attraction route. For this
purpose, the attraction route is designed in a preferred embodiment
as two, vertically positioned U-profiles or one with this
corresponding constructional design, which are arranged parallel to
each other in a distance, having at least the track width of the
vehicle, and depicting and/or describing the route section. The
vehicle drives with its wheels into the two erected U-profiles
arranged in parallel wherein the wheels rest on the corresponding
lower limb arranged in this way. The width of the installed
U-profile is greater than the diameter of the wheels of the
vehicle, whereby the vehicle rests only on the limb lying below in
the entry area of the erected U-profile and could fall off this
course during a rollover. In order to prevent this, at least one
retaining and/or leading means must be arranged on each side of the
vehicle, one on the left and one on the right side of the vehicle
respectively, which are arranged in their position in such a way
that these rest on the upper limb of the respective vertically
erected U-profile forming the route, thereby having an effect on
the guidance of the vehicle in the U-profile rails. This retaining
and/or leading means, respectively arranged on the vehicle on the
right and left side, allows the vehicle to move safely through the
attraction route, such as through a looping for example, and is
securely held against falling out or down out of the attraction
route in the case of an upside-down position. The retaining and/or
leading means respectively arranged on the side of the vehicle on
the right and left, preferably in the centre with reference to the
longitudinal axis of the vehicle, are preferably designed as
cylindrical retaining bolts or wheels/tires, which are designed to
be rotatable in particular and, in one variant, are also
additionally propelled. Preferably, these retaining bolts do not
protrude beyond the outer edges of the wheels of the vehicle and
have a ring band on the side facing the vehicle, which forms the
lateral boundary to the limb of the vertically erected U-profile
and thus, the vehicle keeps the vehicle in the lane and guides it
during its ride through the attraction route. The embodiments of
the corresponding retaining and/or guide means at the attraction
route and the retaining and/or leading means is preferably always
designed to be as low-friction as possible, which is carried out by
the use of suitable glide-enabling plastics and/or the use of
suitable bearings and/or rollers and/or other means that prevent
the unintentional braking effect. The corresponding gliding means
can also be arranged both on the vehicle and alternatively, on the
route, wherein the preferred arrangement on the vehicles takes
place, which allows for worn or defective gliding means, for
example, to be changed quickly and simply allowed without
temporarily blocking the entire route for all participating
vehicles.
[0016] In an alternative embodiment, the attraction route can also
be designed with a slab arranged between the two vertically erected
U-profiles, in which the vehicle drives, which emphasises the
impression of a carriageway. Also, the attraction route can be
designed with a slab descriptive of the route section as a
carriageway and two lateral rails, slabs or strips or pipes
parallel to the carriageway, wherein the wheels thereby rest on or
abut the carriageway slab and the retaining and/or leading means
correspond to the lateral rails, slabs or strips running parallel
to the carriageway slab.
[0017] In a further, particularly preferred embodiment, the
attraction route is designed with at least two lateral lanes for
the wheels of the vehicle and also has a parallel rail, a profile
or similar over it following the route section. The retaining means
and/or leading means on the vehicle are located on the left and
right, on the longitudinal axis, respectively between the front and
rear wheels of the vehicle and protrude beyond the track width of
the vehicle. The retaining and/or leading means preferably designed
as rotatably mounted roller elements thus protrude beyond the track
width of the vehicle and are limited between the carriageway or the
left and right lane and the rail, profile or similar construction
following the course of the route section arranged parallel to it,
whereby the vehicle is securely kept from falling out or down using
the retaining and/or leading means when riding upside-down. The
mentioned retaining and/or leading means designed as rollers are
preferably arranged on stable, lateral slabs of the vehicle
towering over the track width of the vehicle. These slabs
additionally ensure a central positioning and guidance of the
vehicle between the rail, profile or constructions arranged
parallel to the carriageway or lane following the route section.
Furthermore, these slabs are preferably slightly angled at their
ends, which leads to an easy and controlled entry of the vehicles
into the attraction route and threading of the retaining and/or
leading means on the vehicle into the retaining and/or guide means
of the route. Preferably, the lateral slabs are covered with
interchangeable sliding materials; alternatively, however, it would
also be possible to equip the retaining and/or guide means of the
attraction route with sliding materials.
[0018] In a further variant, the carriageway of the attraction
route, which consists at least of lateral lanes, is formed on its
sides with a recess, which roughly has the width of the front
wheels of the vehicle and into which the front wheels are guided,
thereby stabilizing the track stabilizing during the journey
through the attraction route. In contrast, the rear wheels of the
vehicle, which are usually somewhat wider, run on the remaining,
non-recessed strips of the carriageway and provide the necessary
propulsion of the vehicle.
[0019] According to a further variant, the retaining and/or leading
means on the vehicle are designed as cylindrical means arranged on
two other axles or other suspensions and/or fasteners cushioned in
a deviating way on the vehicle, thereby being directly arranged
above the wheels of the vehicle, such as wheels, tyres, rollers,
rollers or similar. These are pressed onto the four wheels when
entering the acceleration route and or attraction route, and that
being only during the journey through the attraction. By pushing
these upper retaining and leading wheels/tyres onto the wheels of
the vehicle, they are automatically propelled at the same speed as
the drive wheels of the vehicle. With this solution, the vehicles
not only experience an increased grip, as the drive takes place not
only on the carriageway, but also on the retaining and/or guide
means of the attraction route. On the one hand, the looping is
therefore possible without any problems and even further journeys
upside-down can be implemented. The vehicle is therefore able to
transfer a further power transmission via the drive wheels to the
retaining and/or leading means formed as wheels and/or tyres, by
means of which the propulsion takes place and thus, a power
transmission is possible without compromises, in particular, if the
rotatable retaining and/or leading cylinders are coated or
rubberized, which further minimizes the driving noise.
[0020] Since the successful passage of the vehicles through an
attraction route, such as a looping in the unfavourable case can be
influenced by strong and or uncontrolled steering movements, in
particular, just before the rollover phase and/or the entry into a
steep section, the vehicle, in a further preferred embodiment, is
equipped with at least one rolling element at its front, preferably
middle, lower area, which runs with a preferably middle-arranged
guide attachment along the attraction route, like a looping. In one
version, a guide strip, equipped as a stable attachment or rail
element, is arranged approximately in the middle of the route,
thereby following the route section. Upon entry of the vehicle, the
rolling element now joins this guide like the guide strip, whereby
the guide strip along the route section is designed in such a way
that at least one of the front wheels of the vehicle is slightly
lifted at least in sections during the journey and only completely
re-enters the carriageway upon exiting the attraction route. This
minimizes the influence of uncontrolled and/or incorrect steering
movements, which, in such a case, can lead to increased friction or
unintentional blocking and thus an insufficient speed for the
passage through the looping. In an alternative embodiment, the
central guide attachment can also be designed as a chute and, if
necessary, coupled with the steering.
[0021] In addition, the additional front-mounted roller
accommodates loads that arise particularly when driving in and out
in attractions, such as a looping.
[0022] In a further, alternative embodiment of the amusement ride
according to the invention, the attraction route is equipped with
retaining and/or guide means on or directly in the carriageway,
preferably approximately in the centre of the carriageway, into
which retaining and/or leading means, which are arranged at the
substructure of the vehicle, correspondingly engage and hold and
guide the vehicle through the attraction route. The retaining
and/or guide means are arranged, for example, as parallel-guided
pipes or rails or T- or double U-profiles at approximately the
middle of the carriageway at a suitable distance above the
carriageway and have the corresponding carriageway progression. In
the area of the beginning of the acceleration route in front of the
attraction route, these means are expanded, for example, in a
swallowtail-shaped or funnel-shaped manner. The vehicle with at
least one retaining means and/or leading means arranged on its
substructure travels on the carriageway and the retaining and/or
leading means on the substructure of the vehicle threads easily
into the expanded area of, for example, the two parallel-guided
pipes. For this purpose, a mushroom-shaped supporting means or
rollers or other suitable means are arranged on the substructure,
for example, which have a larger diameter in the head area, which
is facing the carriageway, than the distance of the two parallel
pipes just above the carriageway. This mushroom-shaped holder
threads securely and easily into the acceleration area and/or the
attraction route upon entry of the vehicle. The pipes themselves
and/or the holder is also preferably equipped and/or padded with
suitable sliding materials, in particular, plastics. Such a
retaining and/or guide device can also be designed, for example, as
a rail and/or monorail and the retaining and/or leading means can
be designed on the substructure of the vehicle as a corresponding
means of grasping and/or rolling or sliding means for the
corresponding rails or alternative profiles in order to implement
the function of the corresponding interlocking of means arranged on
the substructure of the vehicle having retaining and/or guide means
in or just above the route.
[0023] The route designed as an attraction, such as a looping, a
screw or spiral route or a steep face and/or upside-down route is
preferably equipped with a threading area and/or an acceleration
route and can be accessed from a normal driving route, carriageway,
course or race track, which takes place, if necessary, using
appropriate locks for a controlled entry into the zones with
attraction routes. The access to the attraction routes in at least
one zone is preferably in an area in which the carriageway is
narrowed in an approximately funnel-shaped manner and the vehicle
interacts with its retaining means and/or leading means in the
transition area to the attraction route corresponding to its
retaining means and/or guide means of the attraction route, thereby
stabilizing the vehicle in the lane on the one hand, and keeping
the vehicle from falling out or falling down in a supporting
manner, thereby keeping it in the attraction respectively. In the
preferred embodiment, an acceleration route is arranged after this
threading area, in which the corresponding means on the vehicle and
the attraction route interact and/or correspondingly interlock, on
which acceleration route the vehicle can accelerate in order to be
able to achieve sufficient speed to be able to securely and easily
pass through the attraction route. The corresponding threading of
the retaining and/or leading means arranged on the vehicles in
and/or on the retaining and/or guide means of the attraction route
is thereby carried out automatically upon the entry of the vehicles
into the attraction route by means of suitable start-up devices.
The flawless, secure threading of the vehicle into and/or onto the
attraction route is preferably detected by means of suitable
sensors and the route is subsequently released or, if necessary,
blocked or the vehicle stopped using brake devices designated for
this purpose. In this case, it is always ensured by the interacting
retaining and/or guide means on the route and the retaining means
and/or leading means on the vehicle that the vehicle, due to for
example incorrect control, cannot leave the attraction route, nor
that the vehicle falls down out of the attraction route, for
example, at too low speed when riding upside-down. In this case,
the vehicle would be held by its retaining means and/or leading
means at the retaining and/or guide means of the route and, at
insufficient speed, would simply roll backwards out of the area of
the attraction route, such as a looping for example. In the case of
the described insufficient speed for the complete passage of the
looping or a screw, spiral or other route, the attraction route can
be equipped with sensor technology designed for this purpose and an
adapted propulsion device attacking in the vehicle guidance and/or
to the retaining means and/or leading means of the vehicle. On the
one hand, this would allow the amusement ride to be controlled
externally in such a way that each driver in his/her vehicle will
safely drive through the area of the attraction route completely or
only those vehicles that are accelerated that stop at the
transition point of turning upside-down in order to prevent the
driver from hanging upside-down for too long.
[0024] In a further variant, the vehicles are equipped with
extensive sensors and/or control devices and/or control
electronics, which make it possible to control the driving of the
vehicles remotely. This externally operated control system can
affect any vehicle powered by internal combustion engines and/or
electrically propelled vehicles and accelerate or brake the
vehicles. In particular, when designing the amusement ride with
electric vehicles, these can be designed as an alternative to
equipping with their own energy sources with appropriately designed
pantographs on the vehicles and connecting means on the driving
track. A quick shutdown of the power supply and the associated
drive power would thus be possible from the outside at any time. In
this case, the driving of the vehicles during the journey could be
completely controlled and completely ensured that each vehicle
actually drives through the looping, the spiral or any attraction
route and really drives through at a sufficient level of speed. The
steering and/or braking and/or acceleration function could also be
completely taken over to ensure that there are no interruptions of
the passage due to incorrect control of the driver, for example, in
case of anxiety or panic. On the one hand, this can increase the
safety of the entire amusement ride, but also increase efficiency,
since every vehicle will pass through the attraction route as
planned; no downtime and backlogging are to be expected. On the
other hand, the challenge of finding the speed required for the
complete passage of the attraction route by the driver himself can
significantly increase the attractiveness of the amusement
ride.
[0025] The vehicles can be, adapted to the driving distance, in
particular the attraction route of any vehicle with internal
combustion engines and/or vehicles designed as electric
vehicles.
[0026] In the following, the invention will also be explained in
detail with regard to other features and advantages based on the
description of exemplary embodiments and taking the enclosed
drawings into account.
[0027] The figures show:
[0028] FIG. 1 a view of a vehicle on a zone of a course or race
track with entry into an attraction route.
[0029] FIG. 2 a view of a vehicle after threading into the
attraction route on the acceleration route.
[0030] FIG. 3 a view of a vehicle after threading in the
acceleration section of the attraction route.
[0031] FIG. 4 a frontal view of the vehicle from FIG. 3.
[0032] FIG. 5 a lateral view on a threaded vehicle in the
acceleration section with roller elements on rails of the
installation as a retaining and/or leading means.
[0033] FIG. 6 a lateral view of a variation of a vehicle with
bumpers and slide elements for the amusement ride.
[0034] FIG. 7 a perspective view of a variation of a vehicle for
the amusement ride.
[0035] FIG. 8 a perspective view of a variation of a vehicle for
the amusement ride after entering the attraction route.
[0036] FIG. 9 a frontal view of a vehicle as it passes through the
attraction route.
[0037] FIG. 10 a perspective rear view of a vehicle entering the
attraction route in another variant of the route.
[0038] FIG. 11 a frontal view of the vehicle in the situation of
FIG. 10.
[0039] FIG. 12 a perspective view of a vehicle passing through an
attraction route in another variant with bumper.
[0040] FIG. 13 a frontal view of the vehicle as it passes through
the attraction route, in accordance with FIG. 12.
[0041] FIG. 14 a frontal view of a vehicle with four retaining
means and/or leading means on the vehicle as it passes through a
designated attraction route.
[0042] FIG. 15 a lateral view of the vehicle passing through in
accordance with FIG. 14.
[0043] FIG. 16 a lateral view on another variant with four
retaining means and/or leading means on the vehicle that can be
penetrated on the wheels when passing through a designated
attraction route.
[0044] FIG. 17 a frontal view of the vehicle passing through in
accordance with FIG. 16.
[0045] FIG. 18 a perspective view of a variant with retaining means
on the axles or wheels of the vehicle in a suitable route.
[0046] FIG. 19 a top view of the vehicle during travel in
accordance with FIG. 18.
[0047] FIG. 20 a schematic view of a looping as an attraction route
with a vehicle travelling in it and a vehicle waiting at the
threading point.
[0048] FIG. 21 a top view of the situation in accordance with FIG.
20.
[0049] FIG. 22 a view of a vehicle at the upside-down point when
passing through the attraction route.
[0050] FIG. 23 a view of a vehicle from the front with alternative
guide and/or retaining means.
[0051] FIG. 24 a view of a vehicle from the front with alternative
guide and/or retaining means in accordance with FIG. 23 with
alternative additional guidance.
[0052] FIG. 25 a lateral view of an embodiment of the vehicle and
section of the route in accordance with FIG. 23.
[0053] FIG. 26 a lateral view of an embodiment of the vehicle and
section of the route in accordance with FIG. 24.
[0054] FIG. 27 a lateral view of a vehicle alone.
[0055] In the FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, an embodiment of a possible part of
an amusement ride, course, race track or similar is shown, in which
vehicles 3, here represented as go-karts, enter a transition 1 into
an attraction area or into an attraction route 2. The vehicles come
from an area (not shown), in which they can be moved like on a
conventional go-kart course, via the access area 1 to the
attraction route 2 and/or the acceleration route of the attraction
route, towards which the carriageway increasingly narrows in a
funnel-shaped manner and the vehicle travels through the attraction
route on the actual, limited carriageway. In this variant of the
amusement ride according to the invention, pipes 6 or a slab 7 or
rails or strips or similar constructions are arranged over the
carriageway in parallel to the carriageway of the attraction route,
which run in parallel at a defined distance to the carriageway of
the attraction route. In accordance with this variant, the vehicle
3 is equipped with a roll bar or roll cage 5 at the top side of
which retaining means and/or leading means 4 are arranged, which,
in accordance with these embodiments, correspondingly interact with
retaining and/or guide means 6, 7 of the attraction route 2 after
they thread between the zone 1 and the attraction route 2 in the
transition area and/or engage into one another or lean onto one
another. In FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, this is achieved by means of rolling
elements 4, which are attached on the roll cage of the vehicle and
are located in the entry area into the attraction route at the
parallel to the carriageway slab 7 or are arranged quite narrowly
separated from this. When passing through the attraction route,
which is designed, for example, as a looping 16, these rolling
elements prevent a falling down of the vehicle moving upside-down
in the case of a vehicle speed that is too slow in the case of a
lack of contact pressure on the carriageway. In this case, the
rolling elements 4 come into contact with the parallel, inner slab
in the looping and the vehicle passes through a part of the looping
on the roller elements 4 along the parallel, inner slab 7 until the
looping ultimately passes through, and the vehicle continues on its
wheels 10 on the route 2 and exits from the attraction route and/or
is threaded by the parallel slab ends at the exit point. In a
variant of this embodiment in the FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, a version with
rolling elements 4 is shown, which have a centre groove and/or
recess in the shape of a coil. This retaining means and/or leading
means 4 designed in this way, also being arranged on the roll bar
and/or roll cage 5 of the vehicle, are threaded into pipes running
parallel to the attraction route upon driving in from the zone 1
into the attraction route 2 during the journey. Even with this
variant, after acceleration on the first designated section of the
attraction route, a safe passage through a looping and/or screw
and/or spiral or similar is possible. In this variant, the vehicle
is also optimally kept on the track during the journey without the
driver's intervention, which, in the case of the variant with the
resting rolling elements in accordance with FIG. 2 to FIG. 4. can
be supported with sliding slabs arranged laterally on the wheel
ends.
[0056] In FIG. 6, a particularly preferred embodiment of a vehicle
3 is shown, in which the retaining means and/or leading means 4 are
designed as cylindrical, preferably rotatably mounted and/or, in
accordance with one variant, also propelled bolt elements or wheels
or tyres, which are arranged approximately in the centre with
relation to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, each being stable
on the left and right side, if necessary, equipped with a
spring-loaded bearing and/or a pressing device. As can be easily
recognized in FIG. 7 easily, these retaining means and/or leading
means 4 arranged on the vehicle are arranged above the wheels 10 of
the vehicle. In this embodiment of the vehicle, the versions of the
route of the attraction route 2 in accordance with FIG. 8 to FIG.
13. In the FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, a variant is shown, in which strip
elements, rails or profiles 11 are arranged in parallel over the
route of the attraction route 2 on the right and the left
respectively, which follow the route of the route section of the
attraction route accordingly and are designed to be at a defined
parallel distance. Thereby, the retaining means and/or leading
means 4 arranged on the vehicle 3 is/are arranged on the vehicle in
a position above the wheels 10, wherein the distance between the
carriageway 2 and the underside of the parallel-guided profile
elements 11 is designed to be adapted to one other, so that the
vehicle is well guided in this intermediate space, meaning the
wheels, at a sufficiently high speed of the vehicle, stay in
contact with the track when passing through the attraction route,
for example, a looping and the retaining means and/or leading means
4 designed as bolt elements or cylindrical turning parts or
tyres/wheels support this travel accordingly.
[0057] In one variant, these just barely do not come into contact
with the guide profile 11 with their orbital surface, however, in
the preferred variant, these are spring-mounted and are slightly
pushed down during threading in order to ensure good guidance or a
hold during the journey through the attraction. In a further
preferred variant, these retaining means and/or leading means
designed as bolt elements or cylindrical turning parts are also
propelled, which is preferably done by direct coupling with the
drive wheels and/or at the drive axle accordingly running in the
opposing direction.
[0058] In the event of insufficient speed and the falling of the
vehicle from the carriageway or chute, the retaining means and/or
leading means 4 on the vehicle come into contact with the parallel
retaining means and/or guide means 11 following the route and the
vehicle passes through the remaining route on these retaining means
and/or leading means 4 on the vehicle 3 that are designed as bolt
elements or rotary cylinders or wheels/tyres. In addition,
according to one variant, the retaining means and/or leading means
on the vehicle that are designed as bolt elements or rotary
cylinders or wheels/tyres are designed with a ring band 9 on the
side facing the vehicle respectively, whereby the vehicle is better
kept in the land after its threading and continuing to follow of
the journey through the attraction route as is shown in FIG. 10. In
the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the vehicle is
equipped with suitable gliding means and/or sliding surfaces 14,
preferably at outer edges of the vehicle and/or a bumper or a
bumper frame in order be held and guided in the lane in an
optimized manner. These gliding means and/or sliding surfaces can
also be designed in variants as rollers, rollers or other bearings
and are intended, in particular, for routes with lateral
boundaries.
[0059] In another preferred embodiment in accordance with FIG. 11
to FIG. 13, the attraction route is designed as two vertically
positioned U-profiles 12, which are arranged parallel to each other
at a distance comprising at least the track width of the vehicle,
and map and/or describe the course of the route. The vehicle drives
with its wheels 10 into the two parallel erected U-profiles 12
arranged in parallel, wherein the wheels rest on the corresponding
lower limb 13 arranged in this way. The width of the installed
U-profile is significantly larger than the diameter of the wheels
of the vehicle, whereby the vehicle only rests on the underlying
limb in the entry area of the erected U-profile and could fall off
this course in the case of a rollover. The retaining means and/or
leading means 4 arranged on the vehicle 3 is arranged on the
vehicle in a position above the wheels 10, wherein the distance
between the lower leg 13 and the upper leg of the U-profile 12 to
each other determines the height of the retaining means and/or
leading means arranged on the vehicle, which is/are designed
accordingly so that the vehicle is well guided in this intermediate
space, meaning the wheels, at a sufficiently high speed of the
vehicle during the journey of the attraction route, for example a
looping, keep in contact with the carriageway, flush with the first
lower limb of the vertically erected U-profile and engage the
retaining means and/or leading means 4 designed as bolt elements or
cylindrical turning parts or wheels/tyres accordingly. The lateral
guidance of the vehicle in the lane is supported by the ring band 9
at the retaining and/or leading means 4, as well as the sliding
means attached to the vehicle and/or sliding surfaces 14.
[0060] Another variant can be seen in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, in which
four instead of two retaining and/or leading means 4 are used on
the vehicle 3, which again supports the lane of the vehicle,
especially during the upside-down travel. In addition, it is
possible to simply propel the retaining and/or leading means by
pushing the retaining and/or leading means to the drive wheels,
thereby supporting upside-down travel; this, in particular, if
these retaining and/or leading means are coated or rubberized or
designed as wheels or tyres. According to another alternative
embodiment in accordance with FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, four retaining
and/or leading means 4 are used, which are designed as coil-like
means and are arranged on the vehicle in such a way that these
engage into or onto a pipe construction parallel to the line. These
coil-like retaining and/or leading means are fixed to the vehicle
with a suitable pressure device and allow a very stable and secure
passage of the vehicle through the attraction route. A further
variant is shown in the FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, in which outwardly
protruding retaining and/or leading means 4 are arranged on the
axle or on the wheels 10 of the vehicles, which protrude beyond the
track width of the vehicle and which correspondingly engage into
corresponding retaining and/or guide means 12 of the route 2. With
this variant, it is, in particular, possible to create adapter
devices for wheels, by means of which the required retaining and/or
leading means can be attached to each vehicle and thus even
journeys through the attraction routes with one's own vehicle are
possible. The vehicle itself is precisely held in the lane by
appropriate means and cover slabs 18 additionally protect the
wheels and/or tyres attached to the vehicle from damage in the
event of contact of the wheels with the road limits during the
journey.
[0061] In FIG. 23 to FIG. 27, embodiments are shown in which the
retaining and/or leading means 4 are arranged on lateral slabs 18,
protruding over the track width of the vehicle, stably connected to
the supporting structure of the vehicle. These retaining and/or
leading means 4 outwardly protruding in such way, which extend
beyond the track width of the vehicle correspondingly engage into
the retaining and/or guide means 11, 12 of the route 2. An
advantage of this variant is that the additional rollers on the
side slabs sit so low that the two U-profiles (which result from
the side slabs) can remain very low. This does not give the
impression that you cannot drive freely. Furthermore, it is
advantageous that the U-profile is designed in such a way that the
lateral bumpers of the vehicle also fit into the U-profile, meaning
that one does not recognize at first glance that it is a go-kart
specially built for the looping passage. Rather, the observer
perceives a normal go-kart, with which one can race as usual, but
also through loops, screws, etc. The bumper of the vehicle is
preferably bent upwards at the front and back to prevent the bumper
from sitting on the steel frame of the lanes during when driving
through the looping. At the same time, the high bending level of
the bumper at the front helps to integrate the additional central
wheel in front. In a further embodiment, the bumper is also bent in
the middle between the wheels of the vehicle downwards or/and
upwards so that a looping passage can be carried out without any
problems.
[0062] Next is, as can be recognized in FIG. 23 to FIG. 27, the
vehicle in its front, lower area equipped with at least one rolling
element 4', which runs with a guide attachment 2' along the
attraction route as a looping, preferably arranged in the middle.
In one version, a guide strip, equipped as a stable attachment or
rail element, is arranged approximately in the middle of the route,
thereby following the route section. Upon entry of the vehicle, the
roller element now hits this guide as the guide strip, whereby the
guide strip along the route section is slightly ascending, designed
in such a way that at least one of the front wheels of the vehicle
is raised in sections and only completely reopens onto the
carriageway when exiting the attraction route. This minimizes the
influence of uncontrolled and/or incorrect steering movements,
which, in such a case, can lead to increased friction or
unintentional blocking and thus an insufficient speed for the
passage through the looping. In an alternative embodiment, the
central guide attachment can also be designed as a chute and, if
necessary, coupled with the steering. Thereby, when looping, only
three out of four wheels are located on the lanes across long
routes. At times, only two wheels can rest on the carriageway, in
particular, if the leading roller attached to the front of the
vehicle is also located on the guide slab or the guide chute under
the roller or if, for example, before and after the vertex of a
loops significantly changes the geometry of the looping. The two
additional rollers 4 are each attached on the side of the go-kart
so that the wheel, which is located directly at the lifting wheel
of the go-kart, is pressed when being lifted at the top against the
guide (in the form of the profile running parallel to the lane,
such as a flat iron), thereby stabilizing the go-kart in its
entirety. In this respect, the guides, which lie parallel to the
carriageway above the rollers, are not located directly on the
rollers, but have distance to the rollers. The following applies:
The narrower the radius of the carriageway, the greater the
distance between the guide slabs above the rollers, since a wheel
stands out from the carriageway, the narrower the radius.
[0063] In all variants of the attraction routes with lateral
boundaries and or profile guides on the sides, the lateral guides
for improving the sliding properties are optionally equipped with
suitable sliding surfaces or rollers or bearings. On the one hand,
this leads to the prevention of excessive braking of the vehicle
and prevents the vehicles from being bent in the attraction route
and, on the other hand, allows a quieter and lower-noise passage of
the attraction routes with the vehicles.
[0064] For example, the situation of an attraction route is shown
in FIG. 20 to FIG. 22, which is designed as a looping 15, in which
a first vehicle is already at the passage through the looping and
another is waiting in the threading area in front of the
acceleration route to the attraction route. Basically, the
embodiment of an amusement ride according to the invention can also
comprise only the actual attraction route and this, such as a
looping for example, can be driven through in both directions with
a vehicle.
[0065] For this purpose, there could be turning devices at the
beginning and/or end of an attraction route, with which the vehicle
can be rotated directly after passing through the attraction route
in order to be able to pass through the same attraction immediately
after passing through the attraction again in the opposite
direction. In this way, attractions could be operated as an
amusement ride without the need for a race track for the vehicles.
The turning device could be carried out after entry of the vehicle,
for example, with stepper motors controlled by sensors. However,
such turning devices could also be located at the end of a series
of adjacent attractions. The vehicles would then pass through a
plurality of attractions before entering the described turning
device where they can be turned around.
[0066] In a particularly preferred embodiment, in the turning
device there are means of power transmission between the drive
wheels of the vehicle and the turning mechanism of the turning
device, like two rollers for each of the drive wheels of the
vehicle respectively, between which the vehicle drives in with its
drive wheels at the end of an attraction route in order to turn the
vehicle. By moving the drive wheels in this state of the vehicle
retracted into a mount, the rollers are propelled, which, in turn,
rotate the turning device by means of transmissions or a gearbox so
that the vehicle can be moved out of the rollers again after fully
rotating and can enter the attraction route in the opposite
direction. For this purpose, the rollers under the drive wheels are
locked after complete rotation and locking of the turning
device.
[0067] Having described preferred versions of the invention in
relation to the enclosed drawings, it should be noted that the
invention is not limited to these exact embodiments and that
various modifications and modifications to it by a person skilled
in the art can be carried out without deviating from the scope of
the invention as defined in the enclosed claims.
* * * * *