EP1524016A1 - Brake, vehicle and circuit of roller coaster - Google Patents

Abstract

The brake has a nozzle curved such that fluid intake and fluid ejection are oriented in different directions. A fixing unit fixes the nozzle to a frame of a vehicle. The forward and rear parts of the nozzle having the intake and ejection openings, respectively consist of pipes chosen from amongst cylindrical, regular or irregular conical and cylindro-conical pipes. The parts are connected by a bent portion of the pipe. An independent claim is also included for a roller coaster circuit vehicle.

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle brake for roller coaster circuit, a vehicle equipped with such a brake and a roller coaster circuit including such a vehicle.

Amusement parks are always successful growing both in the United States, where they were born, and in the rest of the world. One of the most spectacular attractions and the most impressive is the one known as "roller coaster" or "roller coaster". These roller coasters include one or more vehicles constituting a train, circulating on the rails of a circuit, with portions of strongly steep circuit. Passengers appreciate this attraction for the strong impressions it provides. These impressions result to a large extent from the various the sensations of acceleration provided by the course; they also result from subjective impressions, namely feelings of dizziness, fear, illusion of risk or surprised by the appearance of unexpected phenomena, that the constructor tries to generate by the layout of the circuit.

US Patent 3,167,024 describes a roller circuit coaster simulating a bobsleigh descent, with a water basin towards the end of the course, before entering the station. The rails cross the basin, under the surface of the water. The lower part of vehicles, keeled, enters the water during the crossing of the basin, which slows them down while lifting a shower of water. This installation presents several disadvantages: at the moment of entry of the vehicle in the water, a shock is almost inevitable; at this time and during the crossing of the basin, the resistance of the water exerts a force with a large vertical component on the vehicle, which tends to separate it from the rails and which must be compensated by the parts of the running gear. The mechanical stresses on the undercarriage are so particularly important with this system. The contact with water tends to remove lubricating material from bearings. Repeated shocks, as well as corrosion due to frequent passage of water-air, tends to cause rapid wear of the undercarriage. In addition, at the slightest lack of tightness of the hull, the passengers of the vehicle may be soaked.

Applicant's patent CH 689857 describes a circuit which passes into a water feature, arranged to give a ditching impression to passengers. The level of the track rail in the water room is below the level of water. Because vehicles are designed to stay solidary rails, these vehicles are then partially immersed in the water, which on the one hand an important braking and on the other hand large wreaths of water. This section is followed by a small ramp to bring the train of vehicles at the station. This circuit also poses problems related to a specific vehicle design having to withstand a very large number of contacts with the pond water.

An object of the invention is to propose a circuit of roller coaster in which vehicles can benefit the braking effect of a body of water, while avoiding the aforementioned mechanical stresses on the material.

Another object of the invention is to be able to generate sprays of water on a section of a circuit to benefit from the aesthetic effect and the psychological effect of surprise they cause in passengers while being able to adjust them in height and / or intensity, such so that passengers are not wet, or otherwise be affected by the drops of water, if the weather permitting and this can contribute to their amusement.

Another object of the invention is to obtain this braking and these jets of water without having to use any vehicles enveloping waterproof, while the trend in the circuit construction is rather to open vehicles of all rated, which increase the sensations of the passengers.

These goals are achieved through a vehicle brake of roller coaster circuit consisting of a curved nozzle of such that fluid intake and fluid ejection are oriented in different directions and means of fastener for attaching the nozzle to the chassis of a vehicle.

According to the invention, the brake is arranged on the vehicle of such that the fluid inlet opening of the nozzle is pointing towards the front of the vehicle.

The term "front of the vehicle" here means the portion of the space in front of the vehicle and not the parts constituting the front part of the vehicle.

The roller coaster circuit on which the vehicle includes a water feature arranged so that when the vehicle crosses or runs along it, the opening intake of the brake nozzle enters the water, but that preferably, the rails are not in contact with the water.

When the inlet opening of the nozzle enters water, there is a relative movement between the walls of the nozzle and the body of water that is momentarily inside. Due to the curvature of the nozzle, a component of this relative movement, in one direction different from that of the vehicle's trajectory, is printed on the body of water which is momentarily inside the nozzle, by transfer of kinetic energy from the vehicle to this body of water, thus braking the vehicle. AT the outlet of the nozzle, a shower of water is sent into the direction where this water is ejected from the nozzle, producing a beautiful visual effect.

The skilled person will understand that if the nozzle was straight and oriented parallel to the trajectory of the vehicle, the mass of water through which the nozzle passes would hardly be set in motion and that if the nozzle was straight but oriented differently, when entering the water an effect of shock and violent mechanical stress tending to tear the nozzle would exert on the fastening means.

The front part of the nozzle, including the opening intake, and the rear part of the nozzle, comprising the ejection opening, may consist of one or several sections of tube. This tube or these sections of tube can be in particular cylindrical, regular conical or irregular, or cylindro-conical. The front part and the posterior part are connected to each other by a portion of bent tube.

The flow of water through the nozzle essentially depends of the intake opening section and the speed of the vehicle. The section of the ejection opening can be equal to the section of the intake opening. If the section the ejection opening is less than the section of the intake opening, the water has a higher speed at the outlet and the spray of water has a greater reach. If the section of the ejection opening is greater than the section of the intake opening, the speed of flow to the outlet is weaker and the water jet is shorter.

Preferably, the nozzle according to the invention is curved with so that the direction of the ejected water jet deviates from the direction of admission at an angle greater than 30 °, and preferably greater than 50 °, so that a quantity of energy significant kinetics is transferred from the vehicle to the water Put into motion. With a 90 ° angle, the range of the jet of water is maximum. The angle at the top of the elbow of the nozzle, generating the curvature thereof, is preferably included between 30 ° and 180 °.

The nozzle can be attached to the chassis of the vehicle by means of a set of bars and / or rods that make it together, while allowing to adjust the spacing of the nozzle relative to the running gear of the vehicle.

Instead of a set of spacer bars, or in addition of such a set of bars, the fixing means of the nozzle to the chassis of the vehicle may comprise a plate or a bodywork part in the form of a wing capable of form screen between the passengers of the vehicle and liquid splashes when the vehicle passes through a room of water and that the nozzle enters into action. The means of fixing, in the form of bars and / or plates can more help to stiffen the structure of the nozzle.

The roller coaster circuit vehicle according to the invention preferably carries one or more pair (s) of such brakes, arranged laterally and symmetrically by relative to the plane of longitudinal symmetry of the vehicle.

The lateral arrangement of the brake with respect to the chassis allows the activation of the brake when the vehicle runs an ad hoc pool of water along its path. The symmetrical arrangement in pairs makes it possible to balance the braking forces during the interaction of each nozzle with bodies of water on either side of the rails where circulates the vehicle.

Preferably, the fluid ejection opening of the tuyeres is oriented in an upward direction, in the purpose of producing rising water jets. This arrangement is not only aesthetic but, by reaction effect mechanical, tends to press the vehicle against the rail instead to raise it, as was the case in the prior art. In particular, the axis of the anterior part a nozzle may be substantially parallel to the axis of the vehicle and intake opening substantially perpendicular to this axis of the anterior part; this opening can also be contained in an inclined plane relative to the axis of the anterior part so that the upper edge of the intake opening is located more before the bottom edge of this opening.

For the chassis itself, or the hull of the vehicle, to touch the surface of the body of water through which the vehicle passes, the inlet openings of the nozzles can be arranged via the fixing means, at the height of the train of the vehicle, in particular at the height of the contact of this undercarriage with the circuit rail, even lower. According to a preferred embodiment of invention, on each side of a vehicle, all parts constituting the chassis of the vehicle, the face vehicle chassis and the parts constituting the according to the invention define a free space, open down. With this arrangement of the vehicle parts, the brake according to the invention and the rest of the vehicle parts can pass on both sides of a partition arranged on along the rail. The corresponding roller coaster circuit can have a channel consisting of two partition walls parallel, a body of water being arranged on both sides of the canal. The system of rails of the circuit borrows this channel while staying dry. The walls of the canal are arranged so that their upper edges fit into the free space mentioned above, when passing the vehicle in the canal.

• la figure 1 montre une vue latérale en élévation d'un frein selon l'invention,
• la figure 2 montre une vue en perspective du même frein,
• la figure 3 est une vue latérale d'un train de véhicules traversant une pièce d'eau d'un circuit,
• la figure 4 est une coupe transversale d'un véhicule selon le plan XX' de la figure 3.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures of the drawing, in which

• FIG. 1 shows a side elevational view of a brake according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the same brake,
• FIG. 3 is a side view of a vehicle train passing through a piece of water of a circuit,
• FIG. 4 is a cross section of a vehicle along the plane XX 'of FIG. 3.

The nozzle 1 shown in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2, consists of a tube of cylindrical section, bent in its central part 1b. The end of the anterior part 1a, defining the inlet opening 8 of the nozzle, is cut at an angle to the Z axis of this part of the tube. The end of the posterior part 1c, defining the ejection opening 9 of fluid, is also cut in bias with respect to the Z 'axis of this part of the tube. The anterior portion 1a has two longitudinal incisions 2 and 3, diametrically opposed, and contained in the plan defined by the Z and Z 'axes. The direction of the Z axis deviates from the direction of the Z axis at an angle of about 70 °, so that the apex angle (Z, Z ') is about 110 °. The plans defining the openings 8 and 9 are perpendicular to the plane defined by Z and Z '.

The nozzle 1 can be attached to a vehicle by means of a fixing plate 4. The plate 4 is approximately trapezoidal in its upper part and pierced with six holes allowing to receive bolts. One side 4a of the game lower part of the plate 4 has a rounded contour which adapts to the inner curvature of the tube constituting the nozzle 1. In the lower extension of Part 4a, the plate 4 has a protrusion 4b, itself of shape trapezoidal, whose dimensions are such that it penetrates in the slots 2 and 3 of the nozzle 1 exceeding very slightly the lower slot 2 and the opening 8 of the part previous.

On one of the sides, the plate 4 has a bar of reinforcement 5 and two longitudinal members 6 and 7 reinforcing themselves the assembly between the reinforcing bar 5 and the plate 4. A ends of the bar 5 has a section cutout elliptical device enclosing the rear part 1c of the nozzle 1 to close to the ejection opening 9. All the parts described above are made of steel and are welded to each other, forming a rigid structure.

Figure 4 schematically illustrates the mounting of a pair of brakes on the chassis of a roller skating vehicle coaster. In FIG. 4, the fixing plate 14 is not plane as in Figure 1, but takes the form of a wing of bodywork consisting of two flat areas connected by a offset slant. The plates 14 are bolted on each side of the chassis 15. The nozzle 11 is similar to the nozzle 1 of Figures 1 and 2. Figure 4 shows schematically the rails 12 and the running gear 13 of the vehicle; the structure of such undercarriages 13 is otherwise known and not part of this invention. It can be seen that between the undercarriage 13, the underside of the frame 15 and the plates 14, lies arranged on each side a free space A, which in section transverse, globally forms an inverted U.

The rails 12 are attached to a steel structure 16, itself arranged in a channel 17 formed by a bottom 18 and two masonry walls 19 and 20. The height and the thickness of the wall 19, as well as the shape of the fixing plate 14 are chosen in such a way that when the vehicle 10 rolls on the rails 12, the top of the wall 19 fits inside of space A without touching either the undercarriage 13 or the bottom of the frame 15 or the plate 14 or the nozzle 11 of the brake. This applies mutatis mutandis to the wall 20.

A pond is fitted out on both sides of walls 19 and 20, so that they delimit between them a channel 17 dry or near dry: Water can overflow the top of the walls 19 and 20 and fill the bottom of the canal, giving by far the optical illusion that this one is also filled with water. However, the circuit is arranged so that the water level in channel 17 remains always significantly lower than the level of rails 12, so that when the vehicle 10 uses this channel 17, the train of bearing 13 does not enter the water.

FIG. 3 schematically represents a side view, the crossing of the body of water by a train of vehicles carrying passengers. In the left area, the vehicle comes from a steep part and is animated by a high speed. The curvature of the rails is such that the part previous nozzles penetrates virtually tangentially in the water, that is to say almost parallel to the Z axis. center part of Figure 3 shows the braking zone, in which the movement of the vehicles generates a movement of the mass of water passing through the nozzles. Because of the curvature of the nozzles, the body of water, initially at rest, undergoes an upward acceleration and is ejected at great speed, as shown in Figure 3. The vehicle loses thus kinetic energy, used to produce sheaves of water, which surround it on both sides, so that it leaves the channel of the water room at reduced speed.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the axes of the posterior parts nozzles are located in a vertical plane and are slightly tilted backwards, so that the sheaves of water are generally located in a vertical plane and directed towards the rear of the vehicle. The skilled person will understand that thanks to other guidance of the party posterior of the nozzles, the shower of water may be oriented in all desired directions. The sheaves of water can be directed notably laterally towards outside, on both sides, so that the passengers absolutely not likely to get wet. On the contrary, especially during the summer operation of the park of attraction, the nozzles can be oriented so that the wreaths of water form temporary arches over the train of vehicles.

Claims (15)

Brake for roller coaster circuit vehicle, characterized in that it consists of a nozzle (1, 11) bent in such a way that the fluid inlet and the fluid ejection are oriented in different directions and fixing means for fixing the nozzle to the frame (15) of a vehicle (10). Brake according to Claim 1, characterized in that the front part (la) of the nozzle (1, 11) comprising the inlet opening (8) and the rear part (1c) of the nozzle comprising the opening of ejection (9) consist of one or more tubes, preferably selected from cylindrical tubes, conical regular or irregular, and cylindro-conical, and interconnected by a bent tube portion (1b). Brake according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the direction of the ejection deviates from the direction of admission by an angle greater than 30 °, and preferably that the angle at the top of the elbow is between 30 ° and 180 ° C. Brake according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means for fixing the nozzle (1, 11) to the frame (15) of the vehicle (10) comprise a set of bars and / or rods and / or plates (4, 14) for adjusting the spacing of the nozzle relative to the undercarriage (13) of the vehicle. Brake according to claim 4, characterized in that said means for fixing the nozzle to the vehicle frame comprise a bodywork part in the form of a wing capable of forming a screen between passengers of the vehicle (10) and projections of liquid. Brake according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said fixing means comprise one or more plate (s) (4, 14) for fixing, arranged (s) so as to stiffen the structure of the nozzle. Roller coaster circuit vehicle, characterized by the presence of at least one brake according to one of claims 1 to 6, arranged so that the fluid inlet opening of the nozzle (1, 11) is directed towards the front of the vehicle. Vehicle according to claim 7, characterized by the presence of one or more pairs of brakes arranged laterally of the chassis and symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle, the fluid ejection openings (9) of the nozzles (1, 11 ) being oriented in ascending directions. Vehicle according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the axes (Z, Z ') of said front (la) and posterior (1c) parts of a nozzle (1, 11) are contained in a plane parallel to the axis of the vehicle and inclined relative to the horizontal by an angle of between 30 ° and 180 ° C. Vehicle according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the inlet openings (8) of the nozzles (1, 11) are arranged at the level of the undercarriage (13) of the vehicle, in particular substantially at points of contact with the rails (12) of the circuit. Vehicle according to claim 10, characterized in that on each side of said vehicle (10), between all the parts constituting the undercarriage (13) of the vehicle, the underside of the chassis (15) of the vehicle, and the parts constituting said brakes, there is a gap (A) open downwards. Roller coaster circuit, characterized in that it comprises at least one vehicle (10) according to one of claims 10 to 15, and characterized by the presence of a piece of water arranged so that the openings of intake (8) of the nozzles (1, 11) of the vehicle brakes penetrate into the water when the vehicle crosses or runs along said body of water. Roller coaster circuit according to claim 12, characterized in that said body of water comprises a channel (17) delimited by two parallel partition walls (19, 20), which the track (12, 16) of the circuit borrows. said channel, and that the water level in said channel is low enough so that the undercarriage (13) of the vehicle does not touch the water. Circuit arrangement according to Claim 13, characterized in that the rails (16) in said channel (17) and the walls (19, 20) of said channel are arranged in such a way that the upper edges of said partition walls form part of said free space (A) during the passage of said vehicle in said channel. Circuit according to one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that said body of water is arranged at the end of the circuit, before the entrance of the arrival station of the circuit.

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