Plural Horizontal Axis Roundabout Having Sheave Driven Carriage

Abstract

An amusement ride consisting of a tower movable from a horizontal position on a trailer to an erect position and including an elongated oblong structural member or boom centrally pivoted to the upper end of the tower. The structural member carries an oblong closed track and parallel endless conveyors trained around sheaves at opposite ends of the boom to which are attached frame means carrying freely swingable passenger cages. As the boom is rotated about a horizontal axis separate power means operate the conveyors and sheaves to move the frame and cages about the closed path defined by the track.

Description

This invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly to amusement devices of the round-about variety wherein riders experience compound rotary movement about a plurality of parallel horizontal axes.

The broad object of the present invention is to provide a portable amusement device wherein an oblong framework or boom is driven about a horizontal axis. The boom carries pairs of horizontally spaced sheaves at its opposite ends and a pair of endless conveyors having attached thereto passenger cars. As the framework is rotated about its horizontal axis, the endless conveyors are simultaneously driven around tracks about the periphery of the framework so that riders receive an unusual sensation of being driven in a plurality of directions, though in a single plane, at the same time.

Referring now to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the ride of the invention in its erected position;

FIG. 2 is a vertical front elevational view of the ride of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a broken perspective view showing parts of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view on an increased scale of one end of the rotatable framework;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged broken detailed view of parts of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the structure of FIG. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a flat bed trailer which is especially adapted for transporting the ride of the invention. The main support member of the ride comprises a tower 12 hinged to brackets 13 at one end of the trailer 10 and is raised from a horizontal transport position to its vertical position by means of a telescoping hydraulically extended strut 14 as best seen in FIG. 1. The tower 12 is securely supported in its vertical position by suitable outriggers 16 which extend laterally a substantial distance on opposite sides of the tower as shown and by diagonal struts 18 which are composed of articulating sections rigidly locked together by removable pins after the tower has been raised to its vertical position.

A stub shaft 20 at the upper end of the tower is connected to the center of an elongated framework or boom 22, as best seen in FIG. 2. The boom 22 is the main structural component of the movable part of the ride and is rotated bodily about the axis of the stub shaft 20. Connected to the boom 22 by transverse brace members 24 are a pair of spaced channel members 28 (see FIG. 1) which define guide tracks for roller carriages 30 at the inner ends of outwardly extending rigid rectangular frames 34, whose outer side parts are spaced apart and carry at their corners a pair of freely rotatable passenger cages 36, 38, respectively. As can be seen, the cages have a seat portion 40 and are mounted oppositely to each other so that in one position a passenger in the upper cage 36 of the uppermost right-hand frame 34 in the position shown in FIG. 2, for example, faces outwardly whereas a passenger in the lower cage 38 faces inwardly. As the frames 34 are driven by means described hereinafter relative to the guide rails 28 to the position of the frame 34' on the upper left-hand side of the apparatus of FIG. 2, it will be noted that the cage 36' corresponding to the previously mentioned cage 36 is now below the cage 38', corresponding to previously described cage 38, and the passenger in the cage 36' is now facing inwardly whereas the passenger in carriage 38' is facing outwardly. Thus it will be seen that the passengers are facing inwardly for one half of the traverse around the elongated path and are facing outwardly for the other half.

The pivot points 42 of the individual cages are selected so that gravity causes the cages to remain more or less in their proper orientation with respect to the ground while being able to swing freely about the pivot points 42 to increase the excitement of the ride.

At opposite ends of the main structural member 22 are pairs of sheaves 44 respectively. The sheaves of each pair are carried on the ends of axles 45 (see FIG. 4) which are operatively connected together through a gear arrangement 46 similar to the transmission of an automobile for rotation on axes parallel to the axis of the stub shaft. A positively driven propeller shaft 47 operates the transmission gearing to rotate the two sets of sheaves 44, 44 and drive endless flexible cables 48, 49 which are trained around the sheaves. The shaft 47 and transmission 46 may be driven in any of a variety of ways as by the electric or hydraulic motors 50 which are mounted on the support member 22 adjacent its outer ends. If two electric motors are employed, they receive power through conventional brushes and sliprings and if hydraulic motors are used, they would receive hydraulic fluid from a stationary pump mounted on the trailer 10 or elsewhere and it would be delivered to the motors through a conventional hydraulic swivel coupling (not shown). The sliprings or the swivel couplings are coaxially mounted with respect to the stub shaft 20 on the inner side of the upper end of the main support tower 12.

For driving the entire assembly about the axis of the stub shaft 20, a large wheel member 54 is connected to the stub shaft between the tower and frame 22 and is engaged by frictional driving wheels 56 driven by electric or hydraulic motors 58 carried by the support tower 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The frame members 34 for the respective pairs of cages are movable from the collapsed to the erected position of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and may be rigidly locked in the erected position by the insertion of suitable pins into registering openings in the braces, outer longitudinal members and cornerposts 60, 61, 62 which compose the frames.

The corresponding cornerposts of the two side frames are rigidly connected by transverse braces 64 and lower extensions of the cornerposts are pivoted by pins 65 to the roller carriages 30 which are of somewhat cruciform configuration (see FIGS. 5 and 6) carrying on two arms a pair of horizontal rollers 70 which engage the inner sides of the tracks 28 and a pair of vertical rollers 72 which ride in the track itself. A depending or inwardly extending arm 74 of each carriage 30 carries a single vertical roller 78 which engages the underside of each track 28.

As can be seen in FIG. 5 a rigid member 74 is welded to the outer face of one leg of an L-shaped member 76 whose other leg is welded to the cruciform member 66 and it is between the confronting faces of the latter and the L-shaped member that the pivot pin 65 for each cornerpost of a cage frame extends. The outer end of each rigid member 74 is clamped by conventional cable clamps 78 to cables 48 and the corresponding roller carriages 30 on the respective cables are interconnected by rigid transverse braces 80. The sheaves 44, 44 are grooved to accommodate the cables 48 as well as the clamps 78, it being apparent that as the carriages are moved by the cables about the arcuate end parts 82 of the tracks the pivoted connection of the cornerposts with the carriages enable the rigid cage frames to traverse the arcuate path without being strained or racked.

In operation, the trailer 10 is drawn by a tractor to its place of use and legs 84 at the four corners of the trailer are lowered by conventional jacking gear to sustain the weight of the apparatus when in operating condition. Thereafter the passenger cages and their frames are properly positioned, erected and pinned in place and upon the removal of conventional hold-downs, utilized for transport of the apparatus, hydraulic pressure is delivered to the telescoping hydraulic ram 14 and this is extended to raise the tower 12 to the erect position of FIG. 1. Thereafter the previously described outriggers 16 are positioned and pinned in place and the struts 18 are rigidly connected in their support positions by the suitable insertion of pins in a manner well recognized in the art.

When the apparatus is to be operated, the motors 58 are energized to operate the friction drive wheels 56 and rotate the member 54 which in turn drives the stub shaft 20 and the entire assembly about the axis of the stub shaft. At the same time, the motors for driving the transmissions 46 are energized to drive the sheaves 44 and endless conveyor cables 52 to cause the cages to traverse the oblong frame at the same time that the frame is being driven about the horizontal stub axle 20.

This ride has been found commercially popular, successful, and safe while at the same providing riders with a unique sensation not previously experienced.

Claims

I claim:

1. An amusement ride comprising an upstanding tower having support means, a horizontal stub shaft mounted adjacent the upper end of said tower, an elongated boom centrally supported by said stub shaft for rotation about the axis thereof, first and second pairs of horizontally spaced sheaves carried at opposite ends of said boom for rotation about axes parallel to the axis of said stub shaft, a pair of parallel, endless flexible conveyors trained around said sheaves, a pair of closed tracks carried by said boom in spaced parallel relationship with said flexible conveyors, a plurality of outwardly extending individual frames interconnected with both of said conveyors in longitudinally spaced relationship with respect to each other, carriage means pivotally connected to said frames and guidingly engaging said tracks, a pair of longitudinally spaced passenger cages freely swingably connected to each of said frames outwardly of said conveyors and said tracks, power means for rotating said boom about the horizontal axis of said stub shaft, and separate power means for driving said endless conveyors and said sheaves so as to move said frames and passenger cages around said closed tracks.

2. The amusement ride of claim 1 wherein said frames are outwardly extending substantially rectangular units and include transverse cross braces adjacent their inner sides, the outer sides of said frames comprising a pair of horizontally spaced parts, said pair of cages being swingably connected in longitudinally spaced relationship between the outer horizontally spaced parts of said frame.

3. The amusement device of claim 1 wherein each of said track means is channel shaped with transversely spaced flanges extending outwardly, each of said carriages comprising a rigid element carrying vertical roller means engaging a track between said flanges, second vertical roller means engaging the under side of said track and horizontal roller means engaging a side of said track.

4. The amusement ride of claim 1 wherein the power means for driving said conveyors and sheaves comprise differential gearing between each pair of sheaves, an axle operatively connecting each sheave to said gearing, motor means carried by said boom, and a propeller shaft operatively connecting said motor means and said differential gearing.

5. An amusement ride comprising an upstanding tower having support means, a horizontal stub shaft mounted adjacent the upper end of said tower, an elongated boom centrally connected to said shaft, diametrically opposed sheave means adjacent the opposite ends of said boom for rotation about axes parallel to the axis of said stub shaft, endless flexible conveyor means trained around said sheave means, closed track means carried by said boom in spaced parallel relationship with said conveyor means and said sheave means, a plurality of outwardly extending frame means connected to said conveyor means in longitudinally spaced relationship to each other, passenger cages swingably connected to said frame means outwardly of said conveyor and track means, carriage means connected to the inner side of said frame means and guidingly engaging said track means, power means for rotating said boom about the horizontal axis of said stub shaft and power means for driving said endless conveyor means and said sheave means so that said frame means and passenger cages may be moved about the closed path defined by said track means at the same time as said boom is rotated about the axis of said stub shaft.

6. The amusement ride of claim 5, said support means including a flat bed trailer, means pivotally connecting the lower end of said tower to said trailer, hydraulic ram means carried by said trailer for moving said tower from a horizontal position on said trailer to an erect position, and bracing means engageable with said tower and with the ground for retaining said tower in its erect position.