Zipline braking system

Abstract

To provide a braking device for a zip line which enables smooth braking, is easy to maintain and adjust the braking force regardless of the number of wires. [Solution] The braking device 80 of this zip line is provided with a braking rail 60 with a curved up end E side, and a movable load section 50 capable of sliding is installed on this. In addition, a braking pulley section 40 is provided on the wire 10, and when the pulley section 30 of the zip line 100 collides with the braking pulley section 40 and moves to the end E side, the moving load section 50 is pulled and climbs the braking rail 60, and the pulley section 30 is decelerated by the resistance at this time. Therefore, the pulley section 30 can be decelerated smoothly. In addition, the braking device 80 of this zip line works by simply installing the braking pulley section 40 on the zip line 100 side. Therefore, the design of the zip line 100 and the braking device 80 can be designed separately without restricting the design of the other.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a braking device for a zip line, in which a wire connects two points at different heights and people glide along while hanging from the wire. [Background technology]

[0002] Since ancient times, zip lines have been used mainly in mountainous areas as a method of transporting people and luggage in mountainous areas, on slopes, on cliffs, and over rivers. A wire is stretched between two points with a difference in height, and a pulley is set up to move along the wire, with people or luggage suspended from the pulley to transport them to the lower ground. Nowadays, zip lines are often used as play equipment and attractions in parks, amusement parks, and leisure facilities.

[0003] In these zip lines, it was common to decelerate and stop the zip line by bending the wire near the end, or to install a coil spring or the like at the end to cushion the impact of a collision before stopping the zip line. However, in recent years, zip lines as play equipment are long and fast, so there is a need to install a braking device at the end to decelerate and safely stop the zip line. Here, the following [Patent Document 1] discloses an invention in which a zip line is made of two wires, and the distance between the two wires at the end is wider than that of the sliding section, so that the distance between the wires narrows when the pulley part of the zip line reaches the end, and the two wires are braked and stopped by the restoring force and tension of the wires. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-172787 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the invention described in [Patent Document 1] has the problem that it can only be used with zip lines with two wires. In addition, there is a problem that braking force is limited by the spacing of the wires, and adjustment is difficult. Furthermore, there is a problem that the wires in the braking portion wear out, so the entire wire needs to be replaced periodically, which is costly and time-consuming for maintenance.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a braking device for a zip line that allows smooth braking, is easy to maintain, and allows easy adjustment of the braking force, regardless of the number of wires. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to (1) A braking device installed on the end E side of a zip line 100 along which a pulley section 30 slides along a wire 10, Made of rail materials, steel materials, and pipe materials. Located on the wire 10 The tip is approximately horizontal or approximately parallel to the wire 10. End E side is curved upward The braking force and deceleration speed of the pulley section 30 are set by the length and the radius of curvature. An arc-shaped brake rail 60; A moving load portion 50 that slides along the brake rail 60; A braking pulley unit 40 that is slidably installed on the wire 10 and moves together with the pulley unit 30 toward the terminal end E when the pulley unit 30 collides with the braking pulley unit 40 while the wire 10 is moving; A connecting member 62 that connects the moving load portion 50 and the braking pulley portion 40, The above problem is solved by providing a zip line braking device 80, which is characterized in that the braking pulley section 40 moves toward the terminal end E, causing the moving load section 50 to climb the braking rail 60 and decelerate the pulley section 30. (2) The brake rail 60 is formed of an I-beam with flanges located at the top and bottom, The above problems are solved by providing a zip line braking device 80 as described in (1) above, characterized in that the moving load section 50 has a roughly U-shaped main body section 54 that is open at the top and has a plurality of rollers 52 provided on the inside of both side surfaces of the main body section 54, and is installed so as to be slidable along the brake rail 60 by hanging the left and right rollers 52 on the lower flanges of the brake rail 60. ( 3 ) The above problem is solved by providing a braking device 80 for a zip line as described in (1) above, characterized in that the moving load portion 50 has a weight of a predetermined weight. ( 4The weight is a roller member of the moving load portion 50. 3 The above problem is solved by providing a zip line braking device 80 described in. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The zip line braking device of the present invention operates simply by installing a braking pulley unit on the wire on the zip line side. Therefore, the two do not limit each other's design, and can be applied to basically any type of zip line regardless of the number of wires. In addition, since the zip line and the braking device can be designed separately, an appropriate braking device can be installed according to the zip line to which it is applied. In addition, since everything other than the braking pulley unit is independent of the zip line, maintenance work on the zip line and the braking device can be easily performed separately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a zip line to which the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows the movable parts of the braking device of the zip line according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a moving load section suitable for the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a brake pulley unit suitable for the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the braking device of the zip line according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An embodiment of a braking device 80 for a zip line according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a zip line 100 to which the present invention is applied. Fig. 2 shows movable parts (moving load unit 50, braking pulley unit 40) of the braking device 80 for a zip line according to the present invention.

[0011] First, the zip line 100 to which the present invention is applied spans a wire 10 between two points with a difference in height, that is, a starting point S on the high side and a terminal E on the low side, and a pulley unit 30 that moves along the wire 10 is provided, and people or luggage are suspended from the pulley unit 30 and moved to the low side by their own weight. The braking device 80 of the zip line according to the present invention is provided on the terminal E side of the zip line 100. Here, the zip line 100 to which the present invention is applied is described using as an example a playground equipment in which the pulley unit 30 suspends a player M and slides down. However, the present invention can be applied not only to playground equipment but also to a zip line 100 for transportation. When the zip line 100 is a playground equipment, the pulley unit 30 is mainly composed of a pulley main body 32 that moves along the wire 10 and a suspension part 34 such as a harness, a chair, or a handle that is suspended from the pulley main body 32 and holds the player M, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0012] The zip line braking device 80 of the present invention is installed on the terminal end E side of the zip line 100 as described above, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, has a braking rail 60, a moving load section 50 that slides along this braking rail 60, a braking pulley section 40 that is installed so as to be able to slide on the line 10 of the zip line 100, and a connecting member 62 that connects the moving load section 50 and the braking pulley section 40.

[0013] The brake rail 60 is provided above the wire 10 of the zip line 100, and has an arc shape with the end E side curved upward. The tip of the brake rail 60 is approximately horizontal or approximately parallel to the wire 10. Therefore, the brake rail 60 gradually becomes steeper toward the end E side, and the rail position becomes higher. The braking force and deceleration speed of the braking pulley unit 40 (pulley unit 30) described below can be set by the length and curvature radius of the brake rail 60.

[0014] Here, the configuration of the brake rail 60 and the moving load section 50 suitable for the present invention is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3(a) is a front view of the brake rail 60 and the moving load section 50, and FIG. 3(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line XX. First, as the brake rail 60 suitable for the present invention, it is preferable to use a well-known I-beam or H-beam with flanges positioned above and below. In this configuration, the I-beam or H-beam can be used as the rail of the moving load section 50 as is, which makes it easy to procure the components, simplifies the construction, and reduces the cost of the components. As the brake rail 60, not only the I-beam or H-beam but also any other components such as well-known rail components, rails made of processed steel or pipe materials, etc., may be used as long as the moving load section 50 is configured to be slidable.

[0015] A suitable moving load section 50 when an I-beam is used for the brake rail 60 has a main body 54 that is substantially U-shaped with an opening at the top, and a plurality of rollers 52 provided on the inside of both sides of the main body 54. The rollers 52 are rotatably supported via a known axle member such as a bearing. A gap of a size sufficient for the web of the I-beam to pass through is provided between the opposing left and right rollers 52, and the left and right rollers 52 are installed so as to hang on the lower flange of the I-beam (brake rail 60). As a result, the lower flange of the I-beam (brake rail 60) is held by the main body 54 of the moving load section 50 and the left and right rollers 52, and the left and right rollers 52 slide along the I-beam (brake rail 60) using the left and right flanges on the lower side of the I-beam as rails. Generally, the flanges of I-beams are often inclined outward, so it is particularly preferable to use rollers 52 in the moving load section 50 that are in the shape of a truncated cone with a narrow tip to match the inclination of the flange. For stability in running, it is preferable to provide at least two pairs of rollers 52, and more preferably four pairs (eight pieces). A hanging section 54a is provided at the bottom of the main body section 54, and a connecting member 62 is connected via a well-known connecting device such as a carabiner.

[0016] Incidentally, the heavier the moving load section 50 is, the higher the braking effect is. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a weight of an appropriate weight to the moving load section 50. Incidentally, this weight may be provided separately to the main body section 54, but from the viewpoint of reducing the number of parts, it is particularly preferable to select weights of appropriate weight for the rollers 52 and their bearing members, and have these roller members (rollers 52 and their bearing members, base member, etc.) also function as weights. However, if the roller members are not heavy enough, a separate weight may be installed by hanging it from the moving load section 50.

[0017] Next, the braking pulley unit 40 suitable for the present invention will be described. Here, FIG. 4(a) is a side view showing the internal structure of the braking pulley unit 40, and FIG. 4(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line YY. The braking pulley unit 40 suitable for the present invention has a main body 44 that is substantially U-shaped and opens downward, and a pulley 42 is provided inside the main body 44. The pulley 42 is rotatably supported via a well-known axle member such as a bearing. The pulley 42 has a groove on its circumferential surface for guiding the wire 10, and is particularly preferably installed at an upper and lower stage, with the wire 10 sandwiched between the grooves on the circumferential surface of the pulley 42 at the upper and lower stages, in order to prevent the wire 10 from coming off the wheel. At this time, it is preferable to hold the wire 10 in a straight line to reduce frictional resistance with the pulley 42. It is also preferable to install a buffer member 46 such as rubber, sponge, or spring in the front (starting end S side) of the main body 44 to absorb impact when colliding with the pulley main body 32.

[0018] The moving load unit 50 and the braking pulley unit 40 are connected by a connecting member 62. The connecting member 62 may be a well-known wire, rope, link bar, chain, or the like. The length of the connecting member 62 is preferably longer than the distance between the wire 10 and the braking rail 60 at the tip of the braking rail 60, and shorter than the distance between the wire 10 and the braking rail 60 at the end E. By optimizing the length of the connecting member 62, the connecting member 62 functions as a stopper that limits the movement of the moving load unit 50 and the braking pulley unit 40 toward the end E, and collision between the braking pulley unit 40 and the end E of the pulley unit 30 can be prevented.

[0019] Next, the operation of the braking device 80 of the zip line according to the present invention will be described. First, the harness serving as the suspending part 34 is fixed to the body of the player M. Next, the player M is positioned on the starting block 12 provided at the starting end S. Then, the pulley body 32 installed on the wire 10 is fixed to the suspending part 34. Next, the player M jumps out from the starting block 12. At this time, the wire 10 is stretched between the starting end S and the ending end E, which have a height difference, and since the starting end S is located at a higher position, the pulley body 32 slides along the wire 10 toward the ending end E together with the player M secured to the suspending part 34.

[0020] Next, as the pulley unit 30 approaches the terminal end E, the pulley body 32 collides with the braking pulley unit 40 on the wire 10, as shown in Fig. 5(a). This collision with the pulley body 32 causes the braking pulley unit 40 to move toward the terminal end E together with the pulley unit 30. Then, as the braking pulley unit 40 moves toward the terminal end E, the connecting member 62 pulls the moving load unit 50 toward the terminal end E, as shown in Fig. 5(b), and the moving load unit 50 moves toward the terminal end E along the brake rail 60. Note that since the tip of the brake rail 60 is approximately horizontal or approximately parallel to the wire 10, the moving load unit 50 initially starts to move relatively smoothly.

[0021] As the pulley unit 30 and the braking pulley unit 40 move toward the terminal end E, the moving load unit 50 pulled by the braking pulley unit 40 moves upward along the braking rail 60, and the increase in potential energy at this time applies resistance to the braking pulley unit 40, causing the pulley unit 30 and the braking pulley unit 40 to decelerate. As the brake rail 60 approaches the terminal end E, the inclination of the brake rail 60 gradually increases, and therefore the resistance of the moving load unit 50 also gradually increases. The braking force and deceleration speed of the pulley unit 30 and the braking pulley unit 40 at this time are determined by the radius of curvature of the braking rail 60 and the weight of the moving load unit 50. As a result, the pulley unit 30 and the braking pulley unit 40 gradually decelerate, and finally come to a safe stop on the landing platform 14, as shown in FIG. 5(c).

[0022] Then, when pulley unit 30 stops on disembarking platform 14, suspending unit 34 is removed from pulley body 32. Next, player M removes the harness serving as suspending unit 34 from his / her body, and ends the game. The pulley body 32 and suspending unit 34 are then transported to the starting platform 12 side, and are made available to a new player M.

[0023] As described above, the zip line braking device 80 according to the present invention provides the braking rail 60 with the terminal E side curved upward above the wire 10 of the zip line 100, and the moving load unit 50 that can slide is provided on the braking rail 60. The wire 10 of the zip line 100 is also provided with the braking pulley unit 40, and the braking pulley unit 40 and the moving load unit 50 are connected by the connecting member 62. Then, when the pulley unit 30 of the zip line 100 enters the area of ​​the braking device 80, collides with the braking pulley unit 40, and moves together with the pulley unit 30 toward the terminal E side, the moving load unit 50 connected to the braking rail 60 is pulled and climbs the braking rail 60, and the pulley unit 30 is decelerated by the resistance at this time. Therefore, the braking force gradually increases, and the pulley unit 30 can be decelerated smoothly.

[0024] In addition, the braking device 80 of the zip line according to the present invention operates simply by installing the braking pulley unit 40 on the wire 10 on the zip line 100 side, and does not significantly affect the configuration of the zip line 100. In addition, the number of wires 10 of the zip line 100 may be one or more, and the device can be applied to any type of zip line 100. Therefore, the zip line 100 and the braking device 80 can be designed relatively freely separately without restricting the design of the other. In particular, since the braking force of the braking device 80 is mainly set by the curvature radius of the braking rail 60, the present invention allows the braking device 80 to be designed and installed individually with an appropriate braking force and deceleration speed according to the zip line 100 to which it is applied. Furthermore, this braking force can also be adjusted by the weight of the moving load unit 50.

[0025] Furthermore, since the braking pulley unit 40 can be attached and detached from the wire 10 and the rest of the configuration of the braking device 80 is independent of the zip line 100, the zip line 100 and the braking device 80 can be maintained separately. This makes it easy to perform maintenance work.

[0026] In addition, the configurations, shapes, dimensions, mechanisms, designs, etc. of the zip line 100, braking device 80, braking rail 60, moving load section 50, braking pulley section 40, and other parts shown in this example are only examples, and the present invention can be modified and implemented within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 10 Wire 30 Pulley part 40 Braking pulley section 50 Moving Load Section 60 Brake Rail 62 Connecting member 100 Zipline 80 Braking device E termination

Claims

1. A braking device installed at the end of a zip line where a pulley slides along a wire, the braking device comprising: an arc-shaped brake rail formed of a rail member, steel material, or pipe material, positioned above the wire, the leading end of which is approximately horizontal or approximately parallel to the wire, the trailing end of which is curved upward, and the braking force and deceleration speed applied to the pulley are set by the length and radius of curvature; A moving load portion that slides along the brake rail; A braking pulley section that is slidably installed on the wire and that moves together with the pulley section toward the terminal end when the pulley section collides with the wire during travel; A connecting member connecting the moving load portion and the braking pulley portion, A zip line braking device characterized in that the braking pulley section moves toward the terminal end, causing the moving load section to climb the braking rail and decelerate the pulley section.

2. The brake rail is formed of an I-beam with flanges located above and below, The zip line braking device described in claim 1, characterized in that the moving load portion has a main body portion that is approximately U-shaped and open at the top, and a plurality of rollers provided on the inside of both side surfaces of the main body portion, and is installed so as to be slidable along the brake rail by hanging the left and right rollers on the lower flange of the brake rail.

3. The zip line braking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the moving load portion has a weight of a predetermined weight.

4. The zip line braking device according to claim 3, characterized in that the weight is a roller member of the moving load portion.

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