Auxiliary drive device for rotary play facility

Abstract

To improve stability of the operation of an auxiliary drive device for a rotary play facility.SOLUTION: An auxiliary drive device 70 is equipped in a rotary play facility which includes link arms, a gondola that is rotatably connected to one end side of the link arm, and an arm rotation shaft 61 (11, 21, 31) that supports each link arm in a manner of being reciprocating-rotatable 360 degrees. The gondola is designed to rotate 360 degrees when a passenger performs a bending and stretching exercise or the like. The auxiliary drive device 70 includes an operation unit 71 mounted on the arm rotation shaft 61 and a drive unit 73 thereof. With the auxiliary drive device 70, each link arm is set in a free state through the operation of a stop device after the gondola is lifted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an auxiliary drive device for a rotating amusement facility. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional rotating amusement device installed in amusement parks and the like is shown in Patent Document 1. This device is configured so that the arms arranged on the left and right sides of the gondola rotate, allowing the gondola to rotate one or more revolutions. However, with this device, since only the tip of the arm is connected to the top of the gondola, there is a risk of the gondola swinging, making the device unstable. Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 2, one of the inventors proposed a spinning amusement device that improves the stability of the gondola and allows the gondola to rotate more than once even by human power. In this spinning amusement device, there were cases where players could not move the gondola well at the initial stage, but the inventor also proposed adding an auxiliary drive device to mechanically move the gondola to assist its operation for the initial drive, so that people of all ages, from young to old, can easily enjoy playing with the spinning amusement device. Specifically, this auxiliary drive device was configured to apply a force to the gondola by rotating a rotating body with a large friction coefficient, such as a rubber tire, in contact with the underside of the floor of the gondola and rotating in only one direction, but the range in which the gondola can be moved with one rotation of the rotating body is limited, and there are also issues of weather and aging, so there is still room for improvement. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-74729 [Patent Document 2] Registered Utility Model No. 3237338 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary drive device for a rotary amusement device with stable operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention provides an auxiliary drive device that can be attached to and used on a rotating amusement equipment for initial drive, the rotating amusement equipment comprising: a plurality of link arms; a gondola having a floor for passengers to board and rotatably connected to one end of each of the plurality of link arms; an arm rotation shaft that supports each of the plurality of link arms so that it can rotate back and forth through 360 degrees; and a balance weight arranged on the other end of the link arm across the arm rotation shaft, wherein each of the plurality of link arms constitutes at least one link of a parallel link mechanism that keeps the gondola including the floor horizontal regardless of its rotation angle, and wherein as passengers in the gondola bend and stretch, the swing range of the link arms in the forward and backward directions gradually increases, allowing the gondola to rotate 360 ​​degrees. The auxiliary drive device includes an operating unit provided on the arm rotation shaft of at least one of the link arms and a drive unit for moving the operating unit, and is configured so that the link arm rotates when a forced rotation force is applied from the operating unit, and the link arm lifts the gondola against gravity from an initial stopped state. The auxiliary drive device includes a stop device that stops the application of the forced rotation force from the operating unit after the gondola has lifted, and is configured so that the link arm becomes free when the stop device is activated.

[0006] The stopping device may be implemented as comprising at least one of a manual stopping device and an automatic stopping device. The manual stop device can be configured and implemented so that, by a stop operation by an operator, the application of the forced rotational force from the operating part is stopped and the link arm is set in a free state. The automatic stop device is configured to automatically operate when the gondola has risen to a preset release position, and can be implemented by stopping the application of the forced rotational force from the operating unit and setting the link arm in a free state.

[0007] The drive unit can be implemented, for example, as one including a rotational power source, a reduction gear connected to a rotational output shaft of the rotational power source, and a clutch and power transmission unit connected to a reduced-speed output shaft of the reduction gear. The actuation unit may also include a shaft rotation unit fixed to the arm rotation shaft, and the shaft rotation unit may be rotated by a rotational force from the power transmission unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The present invention aims to improve the stability of the operation of the auxiliary drive device that assists the initial operation of the spinning amusement device. This allows the player who gets on the gondola to operate the gondola smoothly and easily at the initial stage, and reduces the amount of auxiliary work required by the operator at the initial stage. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1A is a front view of a rotary amusement device to which an auxiliary drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached, and FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of three sets of the spinning amusement device arranged side by side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of the frame of the gondola of the spinning amusement device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the auxiliary drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a structural explanatory diagram of a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a structural explanatory diagram of a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 5 . [Figure 8] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Overall Overview) The rotary amusement device according to this embodiment includes a gondola 50 for passengers to board, and a pair of support parts 40 arranged on the left and right sides when viewed from the front of the gondola 50. The support parts 40 are stably installed on the ground or the like and support the load of the rotary amusement device. The gondola 50 is supported 360 degrees rotatably relative to the support parts 40 on the left and right sides via the link arms of a first link arm 10, a second link arm 20, and a third link arm 30 provided on the left and right sides, respectively. In this rotary amusement device, as passengers in the gondola 50 shift their weight and bend and stretch, the swing width of the link arm in the forward and backward directions gradually increases, until the link arm and the gondola 50 rotate 360 ​​degrees. The link arms of the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30, and the support portion 40 are arranged symmetrically on either side of the gondola 50, so in the following explanation, only one of them will be explained, but the other one has a similar configuration. This rotary amusement apparatus can be fitted with an auxiliary drive unit 70 shown in Figures 5 to 7, but this auxiliary drive unit 70 is not shown in Figures 1 to 4. This auxiliary drive unit 70 is configured to apply a forced rotational force to at least one of the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30, and the auxiliary drive unit 70 will be explained following the explanation of the structure and operation of the rotary amusement apparatus.

[0011] (About the support part) In this example, the support part 40 is made of a highly rigid material such as a metal pipe, and comprises at least a left support part 41 and a right support part 42, and supports the entire load of the link arm, the gondola 50, and the passengers. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of gondolas 50 can be arranged in series in the left-right direction, in which case the support portion 40 provided in the middle in the left-right direction can be shared by both the left and right.

[0012] (About the gondola) The gondola 50 comprises a floor 55 on which passengers board and a cage frame 56 surrounding it, with a fence 57 and a door 58 for boarding and disembarking provided on the cage frame 56. Inside the cage frame 56, handrails are provided at a height convenient for standing passengers to grasp and stretch. Multiple handrails may be provided at different heights to accommodate everyone from small children to adults. A first connection point 51 and a second connection point 52 are provided at two locations, the front and the back, of the lower part of the gondola 50. A third connection point 53 is provided at the center of the upper part of the gondola 50. These three connection points are rotatably connected to the three link arms, the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30, respectively.

[0013] (About the link arm) The first link arm 10 has a first connection point 51 at one end with the first arm rotating shaft 11 in between, and a first balance weight 12 at the other end. The first arm rotating shaft 11 is connected to the lower front of the support part 40 so as to be mutually rotatable, whereby the first arm rotating shaft 11 and the support part 40 can rotate 360 ​​degrees relative to each other. As described above, the first connection point 51 is connected to the lower front of the gondola 50 so as to be mutually rotatable, whereby the first arm rotating shaft 11 and the support part 40 can rotate 360 ​​degrees relative to each other.

[0014] The second link arm 20 has a second connection point 52 at one end thereof with the second arm rotating shaft 21 in between, and a second balance weight 22 at the other end thereof. The second arm rotating shaft 21 is connected to the lower rear of the support part 40 so as to be mutually rotatable, whereby the second arm rotating shaft 21 and the support part 40 can rotate 360 ​​degrees relative to each other. As described above, the second connection point 52 is connected to the lower rear of the gondola 50 so as to be mutually rotatable, whereby the second arm rotating shaft 21 and the gondola 50 can rotate 360 ​​degrees relative to each other.

[0015] The third link arm 30 has a third connection point 53 at one end thereof with the third arm rotating shaft 31 in between, and a third balance weight 32 at the other end thereof. The third arm rotating shaft 31 is rotatably connected to the upper center of the support part 40, whereby the third arm rotating shaft 31 and the support part 40 can rotate 360 ​​degrees relative to each other. As described above, the third connection point 53 is rotatably connected to the upper center of the gondola 50, whereby the third arm rotating shaft 31 and the gondola 50 can rotate 360 ​​degrees relative to each other. In addition, the above-mentioned rotational support relationships may be provided on either the shaft or the bearing.

[0016] (Parallel link) With the above-mentioned configuration, the first link arm 10, in relation to the second link arm 20, forms one of the parallel link mechanisms having a total of four nodes: the two arm rotation shafts (first arm rotation shaft 11 and second arm rotation shaft 21) of the support part 40 and the two connection points (first connection point 51 and second connection point 52) ​​of the gondola 50. In addition, in relation to the third link arm 30, the second link arm 20 forms the other of the parallel link mechanisms having a total of four nodes: the two arm rotation shafts (the second arm rotation shaft 21 and the third arm rotation shaft 31) of the support part 40 and the two connection points (the second connection point 52 and the third connection point 53) of the gondola 50. Furthermore, in relation to the first link arm 10, the third link arm 30 forms yet another parallel link mechanism having a total of four nodes: the two arm rotation shafts (the third arm rotation shaft 31 and the first arm rotation shaft 11) of the support part 40 and the two connection points (the third connection point 53 and the first connection point 51) of the gondola 50. The parallel link mechanism has a function of rotating while maintaining a parallel state, but since three link mechanisms are configured in this embodiment, the gondola 50 can rotate 360 ​​degrees while its floor 55 is maintained horizontal. The positions of the first arm rotating shaft 11, the second arm rotating shaft 21, and the third arm rotating shaft 31 on the support part 40 may be set to positions where the three parallel link mechanisms that move while the floor 55 is maintained horizontal are established.

[0017] (About the operating condition) In this rotating amusement device, when a passenger in a gondola 50 shifts his / her weight or bends and stretches, the swing range of the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20 and the third link arm 30 in the forward / backward direction gradually increases while the gondola 50 remains horizontal, causing it to rotate 360 ​​degrees. In detail, first, in a stationary state, the gondola 50 is at its lowest position (bottom point) due to gravity. In this state, a passenger opens the door 58 of the gondola 50, gets on, and stands on the floor 55 while holding the handrail. From this state, when the passenger shifts his / her weight back and forth, the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30 rotate about the respective arm rotation axes, and the gondola 50 gradually starts to swing. In this initial stage, the gondola 50 may be difficult to move, so the attendant may assist the movement by pushing or pulling the gondola 50 as necessary, and if the passenger is a minor, the attendant may assist as necessary even if the swing becomes larger. As the swing range of the gondola 50, i.e., the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30, gradually increases, the passengers can effectively increase the swing range by bending and stretching in accordance with the movement of the gondola 50. More specifically, the passengers stretch out as the gondola 50 rises from the lowest point, and conversely, the passengers bend their knees to crouch down as the gondola 50 descends from the highest point, thereby increasing the swing range of the gondola 50. Eventually, the gondola 50 will exceed the highest point and rotate 360 ​​degrees.

[0018] (Outline of auxiliary drive unit) As described above, an auxiliary operation may be required in the initial stage, but the rotary amusement device according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with an auxiliary drive device 70 (see Figures 5 to 7) that can assist in the initial drive of the gondola rocking by a mechanical drive device. This auxiliary driving device 70 comprises an operating unit 71 provided on at least one of the first arm rotation shaft 11, the second arm rotation shaft 21, and the third arm rotation shaft 31 (hereinafter referred to as the arm rotation shaft 61), and a driving unit 73 for moving the operating unit 71. When a forced rotational force is applied from the drive unit 73, the arm rotation shaft 61 connected by the shaft rotation unit 72 of the operating unit 71 rotates, thereby rotating the above-mentioned first link arm 10, second link arm 20 and third link arm 30, and lifting the gondola 50 against gravity from its initial stopped state. A stop device 100 is provided which stops the application of the forced rotational force from the operating portion 71 after the gondola 50 has risen, and the link arm becomes free when the stop device 100 is activated.

[0019] (Operating part / driving part) The operating unit 71 and the driving unit 73 are provided on a plate-shaped mounting part 80, and are fixed to the support column type of the support part 40 via this. The mounting part 80 is divided into the operating unit 71 and the driving unit 73, but they may be integrated together. Also, a cover may be placed on them as necessary. The drive unit 73 includes a rotary power source 74 , a reducer 75 connected to a rotary output shaft of the rotary power source 74 , a clutch 77 connected to a reduced output shaft 76 of the reducer 75 , and a power transmission unit 78 . The rotary power source 74 can be changed according to the required output, but using one that runs on a 100V household AC power source has the advantage that it can be implemented with a relatively simple and safe electrical system. A reducer 75 connected to the rotation output shaft of the rotary power source 74 converts the low-speed output into a large torque output, which is then transmitted to the operating unit 71 via a clutch 77 and a power transmission unit 78. The clutch 77 turns the rotary force on and off, and the power transmission unit 78 transmits the power by a suitable transmission means such as a belt, chain, or gears. The clutch 77 and the power transmission unit 78 may be provided in any order, and either may be provided closer to the rotary power source 74. The rotational force from the power transmission unit 78 is transmitted to the shaft rotation unit 72 of the actuation unit 71, thereby rotating the arm rotation shaft 61, and causing the first arm rotation shaft 11, the second arm rotation shaft 21 and the third arm rotation shaft 31 to rotate in one direction.

[0020] (stopping device) The stopping device 100 is provided with either a manual stopping device 101 or an automatic stopping device 102, but it is preferable to provide both of them from the viewpoints of operational safety and convenience. If the rotating state of the arm rotation shaft 61 continues, the arm rotation shaft 61 will tend to continue rotating in only one direction. This would cause interference with the player's movement and gravity, and would prevent the player from enjoying the original pleasure of playing with the rotary amusement machine, so the stopping device 100 stops the application of the forced rotational force from the auxiliary driving device 70.

[0021] (Manual stop device) The manual stop device 101 is implemented as an operation switch of the operation unit 81 shown in Fig. 2, which is provided near the rotary amusement device. The operation unit 81 is provided with a start switch and a stop switch, which are not shown in the figure. When the player gets on the gondola 50 and checks for safety by closing the door or the like, the operator turns on the start switch, and the rotary output shaft of the drive unit 73 starts to rotate, and the arm rotary shaft 61 starts to rotate by the operating unit 71 and the shaft rotary unit 72, and the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30 rotate in one direction. When the operator operates the stop switch of the operation unit 81 to stop, the application of the forced rotational force from the operation unit 71 is stopped. 8, when the operator operates the stop switch 103 of the operation unit 81, a stop signal is output, and based on this, a disconnection signal is issued from the control unit 105 to at least one of the rotational power source 74 and the clutch 77. In response to this stop signal, at least one of an electrical or mechanical disconnection operation is performed to cut off the power supply to the rotational power source 74 or to disconnect the clutch 77, and the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30 become free. As a result, when the appropriate rotation angle is reached, i.e., when the gondola 50 has rotated to a specified height, the forced rotation force is cut off, the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30 become free, and the gondola 50 descends due to gravity and rotates in the reverse direction. After that, the gondola 50 gradually swings more and more due to gravity and the player's bending and stretching movements, and eventually it is able to complete a full rotation.

[0022] (Automatic stop device) The automatic stop device automatically stops the application of the forced rotational force, and stops the application of the forced rotational force from the operating unit 71 based on various stop signals such as a detection signal from the stop switch 103 or a signal from a timer. Specifically, the sensor 107 detects that the gondola 50 has rotated from an initial stop state (usually the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30 are in a vertical state) to a preset release angle and has risen to the release position. The detection by the sensor 107 may be a limit switch or a proximity sensor that detects the movement of at least one of the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20, and the third link arm 30, an angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the rotation shaft such as the reduction output shaft 76 or the arm rotation shaft 61, or a sensor that measures the elapsed time after the operation of the rotation power source 74, and can be implemented in various modifications. When the stop signal is output, a disconnection signal is issued from the control unit 105 to at least one of the rotation power source 74 and the clutch 77 based on the output. In response to this disconnection signal, at least one of an electrical or mechanical disconnection operation is performed, either by cutting off the power to the rotational power source 74 or by disconnecting the clutch 77, and the first link arm 10, the second link arm 20 and the third link arm 30 become free.

[0023] In operation, it is sufficient to provide either the manual stop device 101 or the automatic stop device 102, but it is preferable to provide both. In this case, one of the manual stop device 101 and the automatic stop device 102 can be made to function as a main device and the other as a secondary device. When the manual stop device 101 is mainly used, the operator will generally turn on the stop switch at the appropriate time while watching the movement of the gondola 50, but if there is a delay in turning on the stop switch, the automatic stop device 102 will operate and function as a safety device before an inappropriate operating situation occurs. When the automatic stop device 102 is mainly used, the operator only needs to turn on the start switch, and the forced application of rotational force from the rotation power source 74 usually stops automatically at a predetermined rotation angle. If a malfunction of the device occurs at that time, the manual stop device 101 functions as a safety device, and the operation of the auxiliary drive device 70 can be stopped by the operator operating the stop switch.

[0024] In addition to the above-described embodiment, the present invention can be implemented in various modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the claims. The auxiliary drive device of the present invention can be installed as an addition to an existing rotating amusement facility, or can be installed as a part of a newly installed rotating amusement facility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 10 First link arm 11 First arm rotation axis 12 First balance weight 20 Second link arm 21 Second arm rotation axis 22 Second balance weight 30 3rd link arm 31 Third arm rotation axis 32 3rd balance weight 40 Support part 41 Left support part 42 Right support part 50 Gondola 51 First Connection Point 52 Second Connection Point 53 Third Connection Point 55 Beds 56 Frames 57 Fence 58 Door 61 Arm rotation axis 70 Auxiliary Drive Unit 71 Operating Part 72 Rotating shaft 73 Drive unit 74 Rotational Power Source 75 Reducer 76 Deceleration output shaft 77 Clutch 78 Power transmission section 80 Mounting part 81 Operation section 100 Stop device 101 Manual stop device 102 Automatic stop device 103 Stop Switch 105 Control section 107 Sensors

Claims

1. a gondola having a plurality of link arms, a floor on which passengers board and rotatably connected to one end side of each of the plurality of link arms, an arm rotation shaft supporting each of the plurality of link arms so as to be rotatable 360 ​​degrees back and forth, and a balance weight disposed on the other end side of the link arms across the arm rotation shaft, Each of the plurality of link arms constitutes at least one link of a parallel link mechanism that keeps the gondola including the floor horizontal regardless of the rotation angle of the link arms; The auxiliary drive device for a rotating amusement facility is configured to perform an initial drive for the rotating amusement facility, in which the swing width of the link arm in the forward and backward directions gradually increases and the facility rotates 360 degrees as the passengers in the gondola bend and stretch, an operating unit provided on the arm rotation shaft of at least one of the link arms; and a drive unit for moving the operating unit, The link arm is configured to rotate by application of a forced rotational force from the actuation unit, and the link arm lifts the gondola against gravity from an initial stopped state, An auxiliary drive device for a rotating amusement facility, characterized in that it is equipped with a stopping device which stops the application of the forced rotational force from the operating unit after the gondola has risen, and is configured so that the link arm becomes free when the stopping device is activated.

2. The stop device comprises a manual stop device, The auxiliary drive device for a rotating amusement facility as described in claim 1, characterized in that the manual stop device is configured to stop the application of the forced rotational force from the operating unit by an operator's stop operation, thereby causing the link arm to become free.

3. The stopping device is provided with an automatic stopping device, An auxiliary drive device for a rotating amusement facility as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the automatic stop device is configured to automatically operate when the gondola rises to a predetermined release position, and to stop the application of the forced rotational force from the operating unit so that the link arm becomes free.

4. The drive unit includes a rotary power source, a reducer connected to a rotary output shaft of the rotary power source, and a clutch and a power transmission unit connected to a reduced-speed output shaft of the reducer, The auxiliary drive device for a rotating amusement equipment as described in claim 3, characterized in that the operating unit has a shaft rotation unit fixed to the arm rotation shaft, and the shaft rotation unit rotates by the rotational force from the power transmission unit.

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