JPH0139369B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) This invention relates to a standing device for a jet coaster, somersault coaster, or other amusement vehicle that moves on a track or in the air, which is installed in an amusement park, etc. This invention relates to a standing seat device for safely holding a middle passenger in an upright position.

(Prior Art) The present applicant has been developing an amusement vehicle called a standing roof coaster. This is an epoch-making coaster unlike any other in the world, in which passengers are literally held in a standing position on the amusement vehicle itself, and then run on a track with steep descents, turns, and somersaults, unlike conventional jet coasters and somersaults. Compared to coasters, which have passengers seated deeply in their seats and run with a low center of gravity, the center of gravity is high and unstable because the passengers remain in a standing position and travel in steep descents, turns, and somersaults. In addition, the eye level is high, which greatly amplifies the feeling of weightlessness and enhances the real thrill of coasters even more.

It goes without saying that it is essential to protect the safety of passengers while running these standain group coasters, and the strain caused by gravity (G) caused by sideways vibration and sudden descent acceleration on the bodies of passengers who are in a standing position. In order to prevent passengers from being overloaded, and in the unlikely event that a passenger faints while driving,
You need to keep it in an upright position and make sure it is fully protected.

For this reason, the present applicant has developed an arm loop member that supports the passenger's shoulder area by inserting the left and right arms of the passenger while the passenger is in a standing position, and that also sandwiches the passenger's torso from the left and right. We have proposed a standing device in which a body support mechanism is constructed using the following, and this body support mechanism firmly holds the upper body of a passenger who is standing up.

Such a body support mechanism firmly supports the upper body of the passenger, ensuring the safety of the passenger, and since the vehicle travels in a standing position, the passenger can enjoy a thrilling sense of reality.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, the above-mentioned body support mechanism,
As a safety measure, it is necessary to firmly support the upper body of the passenger, but if the height of this body support mechanism is constant, adults and children have different physiques, so the parts to support and press will differ. There is a fear that it will become impossible to provide reliable physical support.

In addition, the more firmly such a body support mechanism supports the passenger's body, the more the body support mechanism and the passenger's body become integrated, and there is a concern that the shock due to gravity and load applied to the body support mechanism will be transmitted to the passenger's body. .

The present invention provides a standing seat device for an amusement ride in which even passengers of different physiques can be firmly supported in a standing posture to maintain safety and reduce the impact of gravity and load. This is what I am trying to do.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention includes an amusement vehicle main body that runs along a track, a support provided upright on this play vehicle main body, and a passenger provided on this support. By inserting both the left and right arms in a standing position, the passenger's shoulder circumference is supported by arm loop members that can be rotated in the left and right direction, and when the arm loop member holds the passenger's body, these arms are inserted. a body support mechanism having a locking means for locking the passage member in this position; a height adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the height of the body support mechanism according to the height of the passenger; and a height adjustment mechanism for absorbing a load applied to the body support mechanism. It is characterized by being provided with a buffer mechanism.

(Function) According to the present invention, since the height of the body support mechanism that supports the upper body of the passenger can be adjusted by the height adjustment mechanism, it can be adjusted according to the physique of the passenger to support the body of each passenger. It can be supported. Moreover, since the body support mechanism is equipped with a buffer mechanism, the load applied to the body support mechanism is absorbed and alleviated, thereby reducing the transmission of the load to the passenger.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Here, the standing device of the present invention will be explained by exemplifying a stand-in group coaster as an amusement vehicle.

First of all, in Fig. 1, 1 is the track of the coaster, 2... is a plurality of amusement vehicles that are installed on the track 1 so that they can run via wheels 3, respectively. It does not have a box-like body into which a person can fit, and has a flat top surface. On the upper surface of each of the amusement vehicle bodies 2, one or two rows of standing seats 4 are provided in the form of a single pillar, spaced apart from each other in the front and rear, on which passengers can ride while standing upright.

The structure of the standing seating device 4 will be explained based on the drawings in FIGS. 2 to 5. This standing seating device consists of a single standing seat vertically installed on the amusement vehicle main body 2 via a base 5. It is provided with a support column 6 and a height adjustment frame 7 that can be moved up and down along the standing support column 6. The height adjustment frame 7 has a rectangular cylindrical shape that is slidably fitted on the outer periphery of the standing support column 6 with a rectangular cross section through a guide shoe (not shown) made of Teflon or the like so that it can move up and down. A protrusion 7a is integrally protruded. This height adjustment frame 7 is moved up and down by the passenger to an appropriate position according to his or her height, and is locked at a predetermined height position by a lock cylinder 8, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a body support mechanism installed in the height adjustment frame 7 to support a passenger in a standing position, and includes a pair of left and right opening/closing lock type arm loop members 10 and 1 that support the shoulders of the passenger.
0, a headrest 11 that supports the back of the passenger's head and the back of the head, a saddle-type seat 12 that the passenger can straddle and rest his buttocks in an approximately upright position, and a tilt-and-lock type belly that presses the passenger's abdomen from the front. It is composed of a presser 13.

The arm loop members 10, 10 have rounded corners as shown in FIG.
Triangular ring-shaped bone member 1 with an angle of 80° and a lower rear internal angle of approximately 75°
0a is covered with a thick cushion body 10b, and the rear vertical shaft portion 10a' of the bone member 10a is fixed to the front surface of the upper protrusion 7a of the height adjustment frame 7 as a pair of upper and lower horizontal frame members. By supporting bearings 16 and 16 extending from both ends of the height adjustment frame 14 and 15, they are disposed substantially perpendicularly to the left and right front portions of the height adjustment frame 7 and are rotatable to open and close. The opening and closing rotation of the left and right arm passing members 10, 10 is controlled by the height adjustment frame 7.
a link rotating plate 17 pivotally supported on the back surface of the protrusion 7a;
Rotating levers 18, 18 projecting rearward from the vertical shaft rod portion 10a' of the bone member 10a of the arm passing members 10, 10 as shown in FIG. 2, the rotating lever 18 of the left arm passing member 10, and the link Rotating lever 1 between the upper position of the moving plate 17 and the right shoulder arm passing member 10
8 and the lower position of the link rotation plate 17, a pair of left and right link arms 1 are respectively pivotally connected.
The left and right sides are interlocked by a link mechanism consisting of 9 and 19. Also, the link rotating plate 1
The piston rod end of a double-rod type opening/closing lock cylinder 21 supported by a pin on the upper left side bracket 20 of the height adjustment frame 7 is rotatably connected to the upper and lower middle lateral protrusion of the height adjustment frame 7. By closing the solenoid valve, the opening and closing rotation of the left and right arm passing members 10, 10 can be locked.

Further, the headrest 11 includes an aggregate 11a having an inverted U-shape in the front and curvedly projecting upward, which is welded and fixed to the upper end horizontal frame member 14 of the height adjustment frame 7, and the aggregate 11a.
The cushion body 11b is made of thick urethane rubber or the like and covered with a cushion body 11b.

Furthermore, the seat 12 is attached to a bracket 22 projecting forward from the lower end of the height adjustment frame 7, so that the seat 12 is attached to a bracket 22 which allows the passenger to sit on the back of the bicycle in a standing position and place his or her buttocks shallowly on the bicycle. It consists of something small like a saddle.

The belly presser 13 is used to press the passenger's lower abdomen area from the front side and support the passenger from sliding forward from the seat 12.
It is composed of a rotating arm 13a bent into a shape, and a cushion body 13b made of thick urethane rubber or the like and covering the outer periphery of the upper horizontal part of the rotating arm 13a. The lower bent end of the rotary arm 13a is fixed to a rotary lever 23, and by supporting this rotary lever 23 with a shaft 25 supported by two bearing bodies 24, 24, the shaft 25 can be attached to the abdomen presser. 13 is rotatable in the standing and falling directions as shown in FIG. The bearing bodies 24, 24 are bolted to a lower end mounting plate 27 of a fixing member 26 that projects obliquely forward and downward from the lower end side surface of the height adjustment frame 7. Reference numeral 28 denotes a hydraulic lock cylinder that locks the presser 13 in the position of pressing the abdomen of passenger A. This cylinder end is supported by a pin on a bracket 29 that protrudes from the middle of the fixing member 26 at the rear, and the piston rod end is supported by an arm rotation. A pin is supported at the tip of the movable lever 23 as shown in FIG.

Note that the left and right arm passing members 1 of the body support mechanism 9
0 and 10 have handles 30 and 30 that passengers can grab with their hands.
is attached thereto, and a pull-up handle 31 is provided protruding from the rotating arm 13a of the belly presser 13.

32 in the figure has its lower end fixed to the side surface near the lower end of the standing support column 6 via a bracket 33, and its upper portion inserted into a sliding ring 34 protruding from the side surface near the lower end of the height adjustment frame 7. An auxiliary rod provided thereon guides the vertical movement of the height adjustment frame 7 along the standing support column 6, and an end plate 32a is provided at the upper end.
The limit of upward movement of the height adjustment frame 7 is determined by the height adjustment frame 7.

Here, the height adjustment lock cylinder 8 is a double lock hydraulic cylinder with a solenoid valve, and the lower end of the cylinder is supported by a buffer mechanism 35, which will be described below, and the upper piston rod of the vertically protruding piston rods 8a and 8b is connected to the cylinder. 8a upper end is height adjustment frame 7
The piston rods 8a and 8b are vertically connected via a bracket 36 to the vertically intermediate front part of the body supporting mechanism 9, and when the solenoid valve is open, the piston rods 8a and 8b can move freely up and down, allowing the passenger to use the arm loop member of the body support mechanism 9. 1
0, 10 and the seat 12 can be moved up and down with the height adjustment frame 7 to match the user's height, but when the solenoid valve is closed, the piston rods 8a, 8
b is prevented from moving, thereby locking the vertical movement of the height adjustment frame 7.

The buffer mechanism 35 that supports the height adjustment lock cylinder 8 from below uses a compression coil spring 36, and its lower end is fixed on the base 5 of the standing column 6, and its upper end is attached to the height adjustment frame. It is held by a bracket 37a that protrudes forward from a rectangular cylindrical lift guide 37 that is located below the height adjustment frame 7 and slidably fitted to the standing column 6 so as to be vertically movable.

To explain this buffer mechanism 35 in more detail, a lower support 40 is fixed with bolts 39 to a bracket 38 protruding from the upper surface of the base 5 shown in FIG. A lower spring seat 41 is attached, and a vertically elongated guide inner cylinder 42 is erected by fitting and welding the lower end to the upper part of the lower support 40.
2, a vertically elongated guide outer cylinder 4 with a relatively large diameter on the outer periphery.
A bracket 44 which also serves as an upper spring seat is welded and fixed to the upper end of the outer cylinder 43, and the compression coil spring 36 is disposed between the bracket 44 and the lower spring seat 41. It is provided so as to constantly push up the outer cylinder 43 while surrounding the inner and outer cylinders 42 and 43. This upper end bracket 44 is the lifting guide 3.
It is connected to a bracket 37a protruding from 7 with a pin or the like and is supported so as to move up and down together. A bushing 46 made of nylon or the like is provided on the outer periphery of the upper end of the inner cylinder 42 via a ring 45.
A similar bushing 48 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the outer tube 43 via a ring 47. 43 are both held vertically so that the outer cylinder 43 can move up and down smoothly. Note that a cushion rubber 49 is interposed between the rings 45 and 47 of the inner cylinders 42 and 43, and a cushion rubber 50 is also attached to the upper end of the lower spring seat 41, so as to reduce the slow shock at the vertical movement limit of the outer cylinder 43. is planned. Further, a rod guide lip 51 having a tapered opening 51a is attached to the upper side of the upper end ring 45 of the inner cylinder 42.

In contrast to the shock absorbing mechanism 35 having such a structure, the height adjusting lock cylinder 8 has its lower end fixed between the brackets 37a and 37a, so that the inner
A piston rod 8b, which is vertically supported on the same axis just above the outer cylinders 42 and 43 and projects downward, is inserted into the center of the inner and outer cylinders 42 and 43 so as to be vertically movable.

Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be explained.

First, while a stand-in group coaster consisting of a plurality of amusement vehicle bodies 2 enters the platform and is stopped, the amusement vehicle bodies 2...
Passengers are boarded one by one at each of the upper standing seats 4.... The passenger is a saddle-type stool 12
Stand in front of the support column 6 while straddling the body support mechanism 9 along with the height adjustment frame 7 and push it up to adjust the height of the seat 12 to suit your height. It should come into contact with the bottom of the passenger's crotch. In this way, the passenger stands up and rests his buttocks shallowly on the seat 12 that he straddles, with his back and the back of his head in contact with the headrest 11, and the left and right arm loop members 10, 1.
Pass both arms through 0 and rotate them so as to pull them inward so that they come into contact with both shoulders and both flanks, and in this state, move the belly presser 13 upward by pulling up its handle 31. Rotate it so that it supports your abdomen from the front.

After confirming that all passengers have boarded as described above, the operator closes the solenoid valves of each lock cylinder 8, 21, 28 by remote control or the like. With this, the lock cylinder 8 of the height adjustment frame 7 is locked, and the entire body support mechanism 9 is positioned and held at the height set by the passenger with respect to the single standing column 6, and the left and right arm passage members 10, The belly presser 10 is also locked by a lock cylinder 21 via a link so that it does not rotate to the left or right while in contact with both shoulders and both sides of the passenger, and the belly presser 13 is also locked by a lock cylinder 28. Note that this belly presser 13 is allowed to rotate in the direction of contacting the passenger's abdomen by the action of a check valve (not shown), so that there is always no gap between it and the abdomen.

As a result of the above, all passengers are held in a standing position straddling the seat 12 so as not to fall in either the front, back, left, or right direction, and also are prevented from rising or falling in the vertical direction. In addition, in order to give the passenger a sense of security, the passenger is made to grasp the handles 30, 30 with both hands.

In this way, after confirming the safety of each passenger, the coaster is started and the amusement vehicle main body 2 is run, but when the passenger accelerates suddenly or climbs a slope, the passenger's back and back of the head are supported by the headrest 11 and the left and right arm passing members 10, 10. The seat base 1 allows you to maintain a standing position safely without danger, and is also resistant to curves and side-to-side vibrations.
Since the lower abdomen is held down by straddling 2, and both shoulders and both sides are held down by the left and right arm passing members 10, 10, the upper body from the waist is safely supported and protected. Even if the body leans forward at the start of acceleration when acceleration is not possible, the abdominal presser 12 is used to press the abdomen and the left and right arm loop members 1 are used.
Safety is ensured by the restraint of both shoulders of passengers 0 and 10 and by the tension of both hands of the passenger who grips the handles 30 and 30.

Next, when a passenger suddenly descends down a slope and is subjected to a gravity (G) several times the weight of the passenger due to large acceleration, the large load will be concentrated directly on the passenger's own legs if he or she remains in a standing position without any help. This would result in a very dangerous situation for the human body structure, but in this case, the passenger is in a standing position, but by straddling the seat 12, the large load is transferred to the legs and body structure in the most advantageous position. By passing both arms through the left and right arm passing members 10, 10, the load is distributed and received at the armpits without being concentrated on the legs. It becomes like this. At the same time, since the lock cylinder 8 for height adjustment is supported from below by the buffer mechanism 35 against the large acceleration load, the body support mechanism 9 and the height adjustment frame resist the compression coil spring 36. 7
The lock cylinder 8 sinks down into the standing column 6 together with the lock cylinder 8, and receives a buffering effect.
In other words, as mentioned above, the height adjustment frame 7 is positioned at the height set by the passenger using the height adjustment lock cylinder 8, and receives an appropriate load of the weight of the frame 7 itself plus the weight of the entire body support mechanism 9. For the buffer mechanism 35
The compression coil spring 36 is immobile due to its strong upward force, but when the above-mentioned large acceleration load is applied, the load is transferred from the body support mechanism 9 through the height adjustment frame 7 and the lock cylinder 8. The body support mechanism 9, the height adjustment frame 7, and the lock are suspended by the brackets 37a and 44 of the buffer mechanism 35, and the bracket 44 is lowered together with the lifting guide 37 and the outer cylinder 43 against the compression coil spring 36. The entire cylinder 8 descends as if sinking appropriately, and receives an appropriate cushioning effect. The impact on the passenger's buttocks from the seat 12 due to small vertical movements such as bounce of the amusement vehicle main body 2 is also satisfactorily alleviated.

This reduces the sudden shock of the passengers, ensuring their safety, and conversely, the passengers from the waist up can rise and fall to some extent, further increasing the effectiveness of standing seats. In this way, the vehicle can travel while maintaining the safety of the passengers in a standing position, making turns and somersaults to return to the original platform. In addition, during the various types of driving mentioned above, even if a large force of gravity (G) is applied to the passenger, or if the passenger tries to bend his/her knees and bend down due to fainting, the lower abdomen should be
3, there is no need to worry about the buttocks slipping off the stool 12, and since both arms are passed through the left and right arm passing members 17, the standing posture can be maintained to the end. It is possible to ensure complete safety and there is no danger at all.

Therefore, in any case while driving, the passenger is safely held in a standing position, has a high center of gravity and a high target position, and can stand up on the top surface of the vehicle body 2 and is surrounded by many supports and Without being surrounded by a frame, each passenger has a wide field of view from their feet to overhead, as well as their surroundings, and the ability to rapidly descend, turn, and somersault creates an extraordinary experience that cannot be experienced at all on conventional seated somersault coasters. You can fully enjoy the thrill, pleasure, and sense of reality. In addition, the body support mechanism 9 moves up and down appropriately due to the buffer function of the buffer mechanism 35 that supports the height adjustment lock cylinder, allowing the passenger to move his/her upper body up and down while slightly bending and stretching his/her knees. It feels more like riding upright than if you were to hold your body completely still, which doubles the thrill and interest.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be applied to, for example, a jet coaster that simply ascends and descends on a track, a screw coaster that performs continuous somersaults, a coaster similar thereto, or any other various amusement rides. is also applicable.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the standing device of the present invention has been described in detail above, it not only ensures the safety of passengers of different physiques in a standing position while traveling, but also reduces the load applied to the passenger support mechanism. The cushioning mechanism absorbs the impact, reducing the impact on passengers.Furthermore, the cushioning effect makes passengers feel even more like they are standing on their own, providing an extremely thrilling, pleasurable, and realistic feeling to the whole body. This makes it extremely effective as a standing device for amusement rides such as coasters.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the invention.
The figure is a schematic diagram of a stand-up group coaster equipped with the stand-up device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing details of the stand-up device, FIG. 3 is a front view of the same, and
The figure is a right side view of the same, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the buffer mechanism section. 1... Track, 2... Play vehicle body, 3... Wheels, 4... Standing device, 6... Standing support, 7... Height adjustment frame, 8... Lock cylinder for height adjustment, 9
... Body support mechanism, 10, 10 ... Left and right arm passing members, 11 ... Head rest, 12 ... Seat table,
13... Belly presser, 13b... Cushion body, 1
4, 15... Horizontal frame member, 21... Opening/closing lock cylinder for arm loop member, 28... Lifting lock cylinder for belly presser, 35... Buffer mechanism, 36... Compression coil spring, 37... Lifting guide .

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An amusement vehicle main body that runs along a track, a pillar installed upright on the amusement vehicle main body, and a pillar provided on the pillar through which a passenger, standing up, inserts his left and right arms, respectively. A body support mechanism having arm loop members rotatable in the left and right directions that support the shoulders of the passenger, and locking means for locking these arm loop members while holding the passenger's body; A standing seat device for an amusement ride, comprising: a height adjustment mechanism that can adjust the height; and a buffer mechanism that absorbs a load applied to the body support mechanism. 2. The body support mechanism includes, in addition to the arm loop member, a seat that supports the buttocks of the passenger who is in a standing position, an abdominal presser that presses the lower torso of the passenger who is in a standing position, and 2. A standing seat device for an amusement ride according to claim 1, further comprising a locking means for preventing the abdomen presser from moving away from the body while holding itself down.