JP4666366B2 - Ferris wheel with telescopic cabin support arm and operation control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention enables the cabin to reach a higher position by making the support arm that supports the cabin extendable and retractable even in a ferris wheel that is forced to restrict the diameter due to a narrow site and a narrow rooftop. The present invention relates to a ferris wheel provided with a telescopic cabin support arm rich in view and an operation control method thereof.

In recent years, ferris wheels for enjoying the view have been installed not only in so-called amusement parks, but also in public parks and rooftops of cities. As one such ferris wheel, for example
As disclosed in JP-A-8-338143, there is a ferris wheel installed on the roof of a building. In the case of such a ferris wheel, a secondary effect is disclosed that if the support member of the wheel frame constituting the ferris wheel is connected to the building frame, the support member becomes shorter and the shaking of the wheel frame due to wind becomes smaller. Has been.

However, as described above, when the shape of the building is cut out, the shape of the building becomes complicated, and rain dizziness, building construction costs, and renovation costs increase.
In addition, despite the fact that a wheel frame with a large turning radius was installed, a part of the wheel frame enters the building, so it is the best compared to the case where a wheel frame of the same diameter is installed on the building as it is. There is a demerit that the reaching height is lowered.
The present invention has been proposed in order to improve the above-described problems, and the support arm that supports the cabin can be expanded and contracted even in a ferris wheel that is restricted in diameter because of a narrow site and a narrow rooftop. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ferris wheel including an extendable cabin support arm that can reach a higher position by adjusting the cabin and that is rich in view, and an operation control method thereof.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, in claim 1, a wheel frame is rotatably supported via a wheel shaft on a support leg formed on a site or a building to be installed. A telescopic cabin support in which a large number of support arms having a telescopic operation mechanism are provided radially at equal angles around the wheel shaft, and the cabin is rotatably supported at the tips of the support arms. Propose a Ferris wheel with arms.
According to the present invention, in claim 2, there is proposed a ferris wheel provided with a telescopic cabin support arm in which the telescopic operation mechanism in the support arm is constituted by a hydraulic actuator.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is proposed a method for controlling the operation of a ferris wheel comprising a telescopic cabin support arm in which the support arm is longest when reaching the highest position and the lowest position.
According to the present invention, in claim 4, the support arm is set to the longest position at a predetermined angle higher than the position of the rotation shaft, and the cabin altitude is maintained at the same height while the support arm is at the maximum position from the predetermined high position. We propose a method for controlling the operation of a Ferris wheel equipped with a telescopic cabin support arm.
Furthermore, the present invention proposes an operation control method for a ferris wheel provided with an extendable cabin support arm, wherein the support arm is expanded and contracted only when a passenger is present in the cabin.

According to the present invention,
(1) The cabin can reach a higher position even on a narrow site or a narrow rooftop.
(2) According to the rotational movement of the wheel frame of the Ferris wheel, the elevation rises due to the movement of the support arm, so there is a time when the altitude is temporarily increased rapidly, and a variety of views can be enjoyed.
(3) The number of support arms can be one, and in this case, only one support arm blocks the view, which can provide a panoramic view.

  According to the first aspect, even if the wheel frame has a limited diameter, it is possible to obtain the maximum altitude and to provide a different view by expanding and contracting the support arm.

  According to the second aspect, since the expansion / contraction operation mechanism in the support arm is constituted by a hydraulic actuator, the expansion / contraction operation is smooth, the control is easy, and the operation of the wheel frame can be promptly adapted.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the support arm can obtain the maximum altitude and becomes the longest when the support arm reaches the lowest position, it is easy for the visitors to get on and off the cabin.

  According to claim 4, the support arm can maintain the same height while it is at the highest position from when it reaches a position that is higher by a predetermined angle from the rotation axis. Can be longer.

  According to the fifth aspect, the support arm that supports only the cabin on which the viewer is on can be extended and contracted in various patterns. For example, when there are visitors in only one cabin, the view from the cabin can be enjoyed without being blocked.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a ferris wheel including an extendable cabin support arm and an operation control method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings with one embodiment.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a ferris wheel 1 equipped with a telescopic cabin support arm. The ferris wheel 1 has a wheel shaft on the top of a support leg 2 formed in a pyramid shape on a site or a building to be installed. A wheel frame 4 which is a structure having a predetermined diameter is supported via 3.
The support leg 2 is formed by arranging a front support leg 2a and a rear support leg 2b, which are formed by assembling steel strut members in a triangular pyramid shape, close to each other in the front-rear direction. The wheel frame 4 is supported via the wheel shaft 3 on the top of the body 2a and the rear support leg 2b. The front support leg 2a and the rear support leg 2b are configured by rigidly connecting cross beam members 6 and 7 to three steel strut members 5, respectively.
The height to the top of the support leg 2 configured in this manner is set to be slightly larger than the dimension of the radius of the wheel frame 4 described later and the length of the support arm extended to the maximum.

  Here, the wheel frame 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the wheel frame 4 includes a plurality of spoke frames 8 arranged radially at equal angles around the wheel shaft 3 that is the center of rotation, and these. A large number of spoke frames 8 are connected by a large number of circumferential members R arranged concentrically. A support arm B that can be extended and contracted is disposed between the adjacent spoke frames 8, and the tips of the support arm members a and a respectively extending on the spoke frame 8 are intersected to store the storage cylinder of the support arm B. A cabin C is rotatably supported at a distal end of a telescopic arm (described later) configured to support the body 9 and to be able to advance and retract from the storage cylinder 9 of the support arm B.

Therefore, the support arm B will be described in more detail.
That is, the support arm B is a telescopic arm, and as shown in FIG. 4, a hydraulic cylinder 10 constituting a hydraulic actuator is built in the storage cylinder 9 as an expansion / contraction operation mechanism, and the expansion / contraction arm that expands and contracts by hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic cylinder 10. 11 is provided. The hydraulic cylinder 10 and the telescopic arm 11 are further housed in a movable cylinder 12, and the movable cylinder 12 is projected and retracted from the storage cylinder 9 together with the telescopic arm 11. The cabin C is rotatably supported on the top of the movable cylinder 12. In addition to the hydraulic actuator, the telescopic operation mechanism of the support arm B may be a pneumatic actuator or an expansion / contraction mechanism using a wire ring.

  Further, the support arm B having such a configuration has a control configuration that performs the following expansion and contraction operations. Therefore, the ferris wheel 1 includes, for example, appropriate sensors for detecting the angular position of each cabin C, the expansion / contraction state of the support arm B (for example, a wire encoder that measures the expansion / contraction amount), the wind speed, and the like. Detection signals from these sensors are sent to an operation control system (not shown) in the ferris wheel 1 and an operation command is given from the operation control system to the power unit to rotate the wheel frame 4 and to extend and retract the support arm B. The control operation can be configured to be performed.

  As an example of such a control operation, for example, the support arm B has a hydraulic operation system (illustrated) of the hydraulic cylinder 10 so as to be the longest when the wheel frame 4 rotates and reaches the lowest position. (Omitted) can be operated to extend the telescopic arm 11 by hydraulic pressure.

  The support arm B rotates when the wheel frame 4 is rotated to a position higher than the position of the wheel shaft 3 supported on the top of the support leg 2 (not shown). ), The telescopic arm 11 is extended by hydraulic pressure, and the control structure becomes the longest when the support arm B reaches the highest position.

  In addition, when the wind speed is detected and the wind is strong, an operation command is given from the operation control system to the power unit to rotate the wheel frame 4 with the support arm B in the shortest state. Can think.

Furthermore, in order to enable viewing at a high position for a longer time, the longest time is obtained when the position is higher by a predetermined angle (for example, 45 °) than the position of the wheel shaft 3 supported on the top of the support leg 2. In this manner, the hydraulic operation system (not shown) of the hydraulic cylinder 10 is operated to operate the support arm B, and the support arm B is gradually expanded and contracted from a position exceeding 45 °, and the reaching position is lowered by 45 °. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the control operation is performed so as to maintain the position to be performed.
In addition, it may be possible to detect whether or not a visitor has entered the cabin C and to extend and retract the support arm B in various patterns only for the cabin C on which the visitor has entered.

In the Ferris wheel 1 as described above, the Ferris wheel 1 gives an operation command to the power unit from the operation control system, and performs a control operation to rotate the wheel frame 4 or extend / contract the support arm B. When a detection signal is received from a sensor that detects the angular position of the cabin C, the expansion / contraction state of the support arm B, the wind speed, and the like, the cabin C starts to move backward when the spectator gets in, and the wheel shaft 3 When it reaches the same height, it stops in the shortest state, and when it reaches a higher position, the support arm B is extended, and when it reaches the maximum height, the support arm B stops in the longest state. After that, the support arm B starts to retract.
When the support arm B reaches the same height as the wheel shaft 3 again, the support arm B stops in the shortest state. When the support arm B reaches a lower position, the support arm B is extended to a minimum height at which the visitors get on and off. When it reaches, the support arm B can be stopped in the longest state.
By doing so, the cabin C has an elliptical orbit that is long in the vertical direction, the length of the site in the in-plane direction and the rooftop length where the rotating frame of the wheel frame 4 rotates is limited, and a ferris wheel with a large turning radius is installed. Even if it is not possible, it can be installed if the diameter of the short side of the ellipse is accommodated, so that the cabin C can reach a higher position even on a narrow site or a narrow rooftop.

  During the operation of the Ferris wheel 1 as described above, the elevation due to the movement of the support arm B is added to the elevation due to the rotational movement of the wheel frame 4, so there is a time when the altitude is temporarily increased rapidly, and the view is rich in change. Can enjoy.

Moreover, the ferris wheel 1 of the present invention can be operated as follows.
For example, the hydraulic operation system of the hydraulic cylinder 10 is operated so as to be the longest when the support arm B is at a predetermined angle (for example, 45 °) higher than the position of the wheel shaft 3 supported on the top of the support leg 2. Then, the support arm B is actuated, and the support arm B is gradually expanded and contracted from a position exceeding 45 °, and the reaching position can be maintained up to a position where the reach position is lowered by 45 ° (see FIG. 5).
In this way, the cabin C moves as if it moves horizontally at the top of the wheel frame 4, and it is unprecedented that visitors can view at a certain high position for a longer time. It can be a ferris wheel having a special function.
In addition, when there is room in the site, by appropriately controlling expansion / contraction of a large number of support arms B, the cabin C as a whole has a petal shape, a star shape, etc., and various shapes can freely appear. And can be attractive in appearance.

  Further, when the wind speed is detected and the wind is strong, the operation control system can give an operation command to the power unit to rotate the wheel frame 4 with the support arm B in the shortest state. . By doing in this way, the shaking of the cabin C can also be reduced.

Furthermore, the ferris wheel 1 according to the present invention detects whether or not a passenger has entered the cabin C, and extends and retracts only the support arm B that supports the cabin C on which the passenger has entered in the various patterns described above. It can also be made.
For example, as an extreme example, when there is a viewer only in one cabin C, only the support arm B that supports the cabin C can be expanded and contracted. In this case, the view from the cabin C can be enjoyed over a wide range without being blocked.
In addition, since only the support arm B that supports the cabin C on which the audience rides is expanded and contracted, power consumption can be suppressed.

It is a whole front view which shows an example of the ferris wheel provided with the expansion-contraction type cabin support arm concerning this invention. It is a side view of the ferris wheel shown in FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view of the ferris wheel provided with the expansion-contraction type cabin support arm concerning this invention. It is structure explanatory drawing which showed an example of the structure of the support arm used with the ferris wheel provided with the expansion-contraction type cabin support arm concerning this invention. It is a whole front view which shows an example of the driving pattern by the ferris wheel provided with the expansion-contraction type cabin support arm concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Support arm expansion-contraction type ferris wheel 2 Support leg 2a Front support leg 2b Rear support leg 3 Wheel shaft 4 Wheel frame 5 Steel column member 6, 7 Cross beam member 8 Spoke frame 9 Storage cylinder 10 Hydraulic cylinder 11 Telescopic arm 12 Movable cylinder R Circumferential member B Support arm C Cabin

Claims (5)

A wheel frame is rotatably supported via a wheel shaft on a support leg formed on a site or building to be installed, and an expansion / contraction operation mechanism is radially formed on the wheel frame at equal angles around the wheel shaft. A ferris wheel provided with a telescopic cabin support arm, characterized in that a plurality of support arms are provided, and the cabin is rotatably supported at the ends of the support arms. 2. The ferris wheel equipped with a telescopic cabin support arm according to claim 1, wherein the telescopic operation mechanism in the support arm is constituted by a hydraulic actuator. 3. The method for controlling the operation of a ferris wheel provided with a telescopic cabin support arm according to claim 1, wherein the support arm has a longest length when reaching the highest position and the lowest position. The support arm is configured to be longest at a position higher by a predetermined angle than the position of the rotation shaft, and maintain the cabin altitude at the same height while being at the highest position from the position higher than the predetermined angle. Item 3. A method for controlling the operation of a Ferris wheel comprising the telescopic cabin support arm according to Item 1 or 2. The operation of the ferris wheel provided with the telescopic cabin support arm according to any one of claims 3 and 4, wherein the support arm is extended and contracted only when a passenger is in the cabin. Control method.

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