Patent Application
20190100220
The present disclosure relates to a path following arrangement having a catenary structure and a method for operating such an arrangement.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2002/162,477 to Palumbo notes that, since 1968, ziplines utilized in challenge/ropes course facilities have typically consisted of a steel cable, of at least three-eighths of an inch diameter, rigged between two points of differing elevation with a single-wheel pulley attached to the cable. Initially, for ascend and descend movements, the participant was hung by a lanyard attached to the pulley. Later, this method of attachment was replaced by the participant being secured in some type of harness being suspended from the pulley. In both cases, the participant climbed to a disembarkation point, and, after “zipping” down the cable, was manually removed at the terminus of the system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,634 to Cylvick discloses that suspended cable systems of various types are known in the prior art and notes that U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,425 to Remington is directed to a cable skydiving apparatus in which a rider on a pulley block car descends a mountainside along a catenary cable and generally comes to a stop as the result of frictional forces, before hitting the lower cable support point.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,746,149 to Elhard discloses a zipline arrangement via which a ride participant supported on a trolley can traverse a path from a higher elevation to a lower elevation. According to this document, the zipline arrangement makes it possible for the ride participants to avoid a large tree that would otherwise block the path.
While designs for catenary arrangements have been proposed that permit avoiding obstacles that would otherwise block the path of travel, there is still a need for a path following arrangement that permits a ride participant or passenger to traverse tracts of land having a relatively wide range of scenic variety, wherein the path of travel includes linear portions and non-linear (change of direction) portions, and wherein the travel of the ride participant or passenger through the non-linear (change of direction) portions is smooth and reliable.
One object of the present invention is to provide a path following arrangement that permits a ride participant or passenger to traverse tracts of land having a relatively wide range of scenic variety, wherein the path of travel includes linear portions and non-linear (change of direction) portions, and wherein the travel of the ride participant or passenger through the non-linear (change of direction) portions is smooth and reliable.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a path following arrangement.
According to one feature of the one aspect of the present invention, the path following arrangement permits a ride participant or passenger to traverse tracts of land having a relatively wide range of scenic variety in that the path of travel can include linear portions and non-linear (change of direction) portions.
An advantage of the one aspect of the present invention is that the path following arrangement of the present disclosure enables the ride participant to control and select the speed and acceleration of the path following platform. Additionally, the ride participant can comfortably enter into, and exit from, non-linear (change of direction) portions of the path.
According to one embodiment of the one aspect of the present invention, the path following arrangement includes a first carriage and a catenary structure. The catenary structure has a travel path assembly delimiting a course along which the first carriage can travel while supported at a spacing from a reference surface and the travel path assembly including a first change of direction run having an entry and an exit. The first carriage has an engagement element operable to engage the travel path assembly in a manner that permits the first carriage to move relatively along the travel path assembly while being guided thereby and the first carriage being movable relatively along the travel path assembly in a travel direction such that the first carriage initially enters the first change of direction run via the entry thereof and thereafter exits the first change of direction run via the exit thereof during each passage of the first carriage along the first change of direction run.
Additionally, the catenary structure includes an upstream anchor location, a downstream anchor location, and an intermediate tie-in element, the upstream anchor location engaging a portion of the travel path assembly and the upstream anchor location and the intermediate tie-in element cooperating with one another to maintain the travel path assembly in a supported disposition such that the first carriage can travel along the course upstream of the first change of direction run, relative to the travel direction, while supported at a spacing from the reference surface. Moreover, the downstream anchor location engages a portion of the travel path assembly and the intermediate tie-in element and the downstream anchor location cooperate with one another to maintain the travel path assembly in a supported disposition such that the first carriage can continue to travel along the course while supported at a spacing from the reference surface after the first carriage has exited the first change of direction run.
According to further features of the one embodiment of the one aspect of the present invention, the entry and the exit of the first change of direction run delimit an arc of a reference circle, the arc having a tangent. The travel path assembly and the intermediate tie-in element are operatively interconnected such that the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly can be restorably displaced, in a displacement direction perpendicular to the tangent of the arc delimited by first change of direction run of the travel path assembly, from a home disposition to a temporary displacement disposition in response to the application of a force on the travel path assembly during the travel of the first carriage along the first change of direction run and can be restored to its home disposition from its temporary displacement disposition. Additionally, according to further additional features of the one embodiment of the one aspect of the present invention, the intermediate tie-in element has an upstream end and a downstream end and the upstream end of the intermediate tie-in element and the entry location of the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly are at a predetermined spacing from one another in a base disposition. The intermediate tie-in element and the travel path assembly are movable relative to one another such that the travel path assembly and the intermediate tie-in element can be restorably displaced from the base disposition in which the upstream end of the intermediate tie-in element and the entry location of the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly are at a predetermined spacing from one another to an offset disposition in which the upstream end of the intermediate tie-in element and the entry location of the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly have moved relative to one another in response to the application of a force on the travel path assembly, wherein the upstream end of the intermediate tie-in element and the entry location of the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly are at an offset spacing from one another that is different than the predetermined spacing from one another in the base disposition. The intermediate tie-in element and the travel path assembly are operable to be returned to their base disposition from their offset disposition.
Further aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein. The features as discussed above, as well as other features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.
Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to represent the same parts.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.
The present invention provides, in one aspect thereof, a path following arrangement having a catenary structure.
The present invention provides, in another aspect thereof, a method for operating a path following arrangement having a catenary structure.
As seen in
As used herein, the term “catenary structure” is intended to refer to a structure that includes a travel path assembly along which one or a plurality of carriages can travel while supported by the travel path assembly and the travel path assembly supports the one or more carriages at a spacing from a reference surface during such travel. The term “catenary structure” thus comprises a structure including a travel path assembly that supports one or more carriages at a vertical spacing from a reference surface and a structure including a travel path assembly that supports one or more carriages at a horizontal spacing from a reference surface.
As used herein, the term “carriage” is intended to refer to an element that is capable of being moved relative to a travel path assembly of a catenary structure. A carriage may be configured to carry one or more persons, a cargo load comprised of no persons, or a combination of one or more persons and a cargo load. A carriage may comprise a motive device supported for travel with the carriage and operable to move the carriage relative to a travel path assembly of a catenary structure, independently or in coordination with the movement of other carriages, and a carriage may alternatively be driven via a motive device having a portion that is not supported for travel with the carriage.
The travel path assembly 130 includes a first curve run 134 having an entry 136 and an exit 138. The first carriage 140 has an engagement element 142 operable to engage the travel path assembly 130 in a manner that permits the first carriage 140 to move relatively along the travel path assembly 130 while being guided thereby and the first carriage 140 is movable relatively along the travel path assembly 130 in a travel direction such that the first carriage 140 initially enters the first curve run 134 via the entry 136 thereof and thereafter exits the first curve run 134 via the exit 138 thereof during each passage of the first carriage 140 along the first curve run 134.
The catenary structure 110 includes an upstream anchor location 112, a downstream anchor location 114, and an intermediate tie-in element 180. With further reference to
The travel path assembly 130 may be comprised of a single length of a flexible cable, such as, for example, a braided metal wire cable, on which the first carriage 140 can relatively move and that forms a course in the configuration of a complete or closed loop or may be comprised of a combination of discrete extents of flexible cable, such as, for example, a braided metal wire cable, on which the first carriage 140 can relatively move, and one or more non-cable structures on which the first carriage 140 can relatively move, that together form a course in the configuration of a complete or closed loop. The travel path assembly 130 may further be optionally comprised of a single length of a flexible cable, or a flexible cable and non-cable structure combination, with the selected hardware forming an open-end, non-closed loop course that is not in the configuration of a complete or closed loop, i.e., a linear course or a semi-annular course.
In connection with the one embodiment of the path following arrangement of the present invention, the travel path assembly 130 is comprised of a single length of a flexible cable 190, such as, for example, a braided metal wire cable, on which the first carriage 140 can relatively move and that forms a course in the configuration of a complete or closed loop. The intermediate tie-in element 180 is a structure that is secured to the respective pair of posts 264, 266, in a manner to be described in more detail herein, and is configured to cooperate with a respective upstream post (i.e., in an upstream direction as viewed relative to the direction of travel of the first carriage 140 around the course delimited by the travel path assembly 130)—namely, the post 262—and a respective downstream post—namely, the post 268—to support an extent of the flexible cable 190 that is curved, whereupon the first carriage 140 undergoes a change of direction as it travels relatively along this curved extent of the flexible cable. The travel of the first carriage 140 along this curved extent of the flexible cable 190 is the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130. The travel path assembly 130 of the one embodiment of the path following arrangement of the present invention includes a second change of direction run 234 and a third change of direction run 334 as well as linear runs that extend to and between the first curve run 134, the second change of direction run 234, and the third change of direction run 334.
The path following arrangement 110 also includes a passenger loading station 502 and a passenger unloading station 504 that are located adjacent a linear run of the flexible cable 190 that extends between the third change of direction run 334 and the first curve run 134. The passenger loading station 502 and the passenger unloading station 504 each includes an elevating arrangement such as a stairway or an elevator (not shown) for persons who transit between the reference surface 150 and a platform at a height about the reference surface 150. As carriages each carrying a single individual passenger, such as the first carriage 140, arrive at the passenger unloading station 504 at the conclusion of a circuit of the travel path assembly 130, each passenger can exit the carriage and transit to the reference surface 150. Since the passenger unloading station 504 is located upstream of the passenger loading station 502, the recently unloaded carriages can be advanced from the passenger unloading station 504 to the passenger loading station 502, whereupon fresh passengers can board the carriages and undertake a circuit around the travel path assembly 130.
With further reference to
With reference now to
The first carriage 140 has an instantaneous trajectory D at an instantaneous position E and is traveling at an instantaneous velocity V. The instantaneous position E is delimited by a tangent TL-T of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 passing through the first carriage 140. The first carriage 140 applies a force to the travel path assembly 130 at an instantaneous position E along the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130, and the force applied at the instantaneous position E includes a resulting force H comprised of the components of the force of gravity G acting on the first carriage 140 perpendicular to the tangent TL-T and to the plane REF-PL and a centrifugal force F acting on the first carriage 140 perpendicular to the tangent TL-T and lying in the plane REF-PL. The centripetal forces are not considered in this analysis. The resultant force H, which is comprised of the components of the force of gravity G acting on the first carriage 140 and a centrifugal force F acting on the first carriage 140, is equal to the mass of the first carriage 140 multiplied times the value of the velocity V of the first carriage squared (i.e., raised to the second power) divided by the radius of curvature R of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130—namely, H=[(G)+(F)]=[(Mass)(V)2]/[(Radius). As can be understood, the resultant force H will vary in dependence upon the average speed or velocity of the first carriage 140 entering the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130, such average speed or velocity varying between, for example, 5 miles per hour up to 30 miles per hour, thus producing a gravitational force (a g-force) in the range, for example, of 0.5 to 2.5, wherein the term “g” is the acceleration imparted by gravity at the earth's surface with an acceleration of one (1) g having a value of thirty-two feet per second squared.
It is therefore desirable that the structure of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 be configured to resiliently handle the forces which may arise due to the travel of the first carriage 140 through the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130. In this respect, the path following arrangement 110 is specifically configured to resiliently tamp or dampen the forces applied via the resultant force H. In connection with the first law of motion in a Newtonian framework, the first carriage 140 would theoretically continue to move in a linear or straight path upon entering the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130, were it not for the operation of the path following arrangement 110 to apply a centripetal force to the first carriage 140. As will be described in more detail herein, the path following arrangement 110 is configured to enhance the smooth reliable travel of the first carriage 140 along the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 and may comprise dampening or resiliently biased sub-structures specifically deployed for this purpose.
With continuing reference to
The one embodiment of the path following arrangement of the present invention in the form of the path following arrangement 110 additionally provides the capability that the flexible cable 190 forming that the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 is supported such that the flexible cable can move relative to the travel path assembly 130 in a direction generally aligned with the arc REF-ARC. Reference is again had to
Reference is now had to
As seen in
The intermediate tie-in element 180 is configured to stably support the flexible cable 190 at a location at which the flexible cable 190 can form the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 and, further, to promote the smooth and reliable travel of the first carriage 140 along the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130. In fulfillment of these objectives, one configuration of the intermediate tie-in element 180 includes a textile sheet 520. Reference is now had to
Reference is now had to
The flexible cable 190 in the region of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 is connected to a stand-off element 620 that is configured with an elongate web 624 having a distal longitudinal rounded edge 626 that has a radius on the order of between two (2) to ten (10) times the thickness of the web 624 and, preferably, at least five (5) times the thickness of the web 624. A proximal longitudinal edge of the web 624 is fixedly secured to the periphery of the flexible cable 190 via a suitable attachment means, such as, for example, welding, brazing, adhesive, or other attachment means. The web 624 extends radially from the flexible cable 190 and the distal longitudinal rounded edge 626 of the stand-off element 620 extends radially outwardly of the web 624.
One aspect of the path following arrangement 110 that advantageously promotes smooth reliable travel of the first carriage 140 along the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 is the provision of an arrangement that accommodates relative movement between the textile sheet 520 and the flexible cable 190 in the region of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130. One exemplary arrangement for accommodating this relative movement between the textile sheet 520 and the flexible cable 190 is illustrated in
The buffer element 720 operates as a liaison structure between the textile sheet 520 and the flexible cable 190 that beneficially permits each of these two components to react to, and handle, forces applied thereto that arise from the movement of carriages along the travel path assembly 130 while the carriages transport loads, such as persons or other cargo. The centrally located longitudinal opening 730 formed in the outboard surface of the buffer element 720 and the longitudinally extending cylindrically shaped open chamber 734 of the outboard keyhole slot 732 are dimensioned in correspondence with the batten 612 to which one edge of the textile sheet 520 is secured such that the batten 612 is movably accommodated within the open chamber 734 of the outboard keyhole slot 732 while the textile sheet 520 extends from the batten 612 through the centrally located longitudinal opening 730 formed in the outboard surface of the buffer element 720. The batten 612 can shift longitudinally along the open chamber 734 of the outboard keyhole slot 732. However, the batten 612 has an overall greater thickness than the height of the centrally located longitudinal opening 730 formed in the outboard surface of the buffer element 720 and the batten 612 is accordingly prevented from moving laterally outwardly of the outboard keyhole slot 724 (the lateral axis extends horizontally perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the buffer element 720).
The centrally located longitudinal opening 722 formed in the inboard surface of the buffer element 720 and the longitudinally extending cylindrically shaped open chamber 726 of the inboard keyhole slot 724 are dimensioned in correspondence with the distal longitudinal rounded edge 626 of the web 624 of the stand-off element 620 connected to the flexible cable 190 such that the distal longitudinal rounded edge 626 of the web 624 of the stand-off element 620 is movably accommodated within the open chamber 726 of the inboard keyhole slot 724 while the web 624 of the stand-off element 620 extends from the distal longitudinal rounded edge 626 of the web 624 of the stand-off element 620 through the centrally located longitudinal opening 722 formed in the inboard surface of the buffer element 720. The distal longitudinal rounded edge 626 of the web 624 of the stand-off element 620 can shift longitudinally along the open chamber 726 of the inboard keyhole slot 724. However, the distal longitudinal rounded edge 626 of the web 624 of the stand-off element 620 has an overall greater thickness than the height of the centrally located longitudinal opening 722 formed in the inboard surface of the buffer element 720 and the distal longitudinal rounded edge 626 of the web 624 of the stand-off element 620 is accordingly prevented from moving laterally outwardly of the inboard keyhole slot 724.
It can thus be understood that the buffer element 720 is accordingly supported in a suspended disposition via the textile sheet 520 and the flexible cable 190. The buffer element 720 interconnects the textile sheet 520 and the flexible cable 190 so that the flexible cable 190 is maintained in a suspended disposition in the region of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 via the engagement of the flexible cable 190 at the respective upstream post 262, the textile sheet 520, and the respective downstream post 268. Moreover, the arrangement including the buffer element 720 operatively maintains the flexible cable 190 in sufficient alignment with the arc REF-ARC so as to optimally minimize deleterious deviations from the arc REF-ARC that may detract from the smooth advancing movement of the first carriage 140 along the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130.
It is believed that the travel of the first carriage 140 along the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 will be optimized to the degree that the first carriage most closely follows a path of travel along the arc REF-ARC. While there are circumstances in which certain deviations of the path of travel of the first carriage 140 from the arc REF-ARC will not substantially negatively impact the smooth reliable travel of the first carriage along the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130, it is believed that deviations of the path of travel in this manner will, as a general principle, degrade the desired velocity of the first carriage 140, contribute to inducing chattering, rocking, or other undesired instability movements of the first carriage, and/or degrade the feeling of comfort of a passenger transported by the first carriage.
It can thus be understood that the one embodiment of the path following arrangement of the present invention in the form of the path following arrangement 110 provides an arrangement wherein a carriage (i.e., the first carriage 140) is guided by a single dedicated structure (i.e., the flexible cable 190) during the entire circuit of the carriage completely around a closed loop course.
In some circumstances, the ability of the arrangement including the buffer element 720 to maintain the flexible cable 190 in sufficient alignment with the arc REF-ARC is enhanced by the feature that the flexible cable 190 can shift relative to the buffer element 720 along the direction of curvature of the flexible cable 190—namely, this capability is the movement of the intermediate tie-in element 180 and the travel path assembly 130 that have been described with respect to
As seen in
The optional deployment of the pivot ring assembly 550 may also enhance the ability of the arrangement including the buffer element 720 to maintain the flexible cable 190 in sufficient alignment with the arc REF-ARC. The pivot ring assembly 550 permits limited rotation or pivoting of the textile sheet 190 relative to the post 264 and this movement may enhance the ability of the flexible cable 190 to shift in a manner that reduces or prevents deviation of the flexible cable from an alignment with the arc REF-ARC.
In some circumstances, the ability of the arrangement including the buffer element 720 to maintain the flexible cable 190 in sufficient alignment with the arc REF-ARC is enhanced by the feature that the flexible cable 190 can shift relative to the posts 264 and 266 to which the textile sheet 520 is secured—namely, this capability is the capability that the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 can be restorably displaced, in the displacement direction DIS-DR perpendicular to the tangent TL-T of the arc REF-ARC, from its home disposition to its temporary displacement disposition in response to the application of a force on the travel path assembly 130. This movement can be accommodated, for example, via configuring the textile sheet 520 of a fabric having a resilient expansion property that permits the textile sheet 520 to resiliently expand in response to an expansion force applied thereto and then return to its original shape. Alternatively, the textile sheet 520 sheet can be connected with a structure having spring properties that permit the structure to be distorted from an original shape and that resiliently returns to its original shape.
With reference now to
With reference now to
The intermediate tie-in element 380 includes a bridge-over retention assembly, such as has been shown and described with respect to
The entry 136 and the exit 138 of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 delimit an arc of a reference circle and the reference circle delimits the single curve of uniform radius that comprises the course of the travel path assembly 130 of the additional one embodiment of the path following arrangement of the present invention. The entry 136 of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 is downstream of the connection vertex 382A secured to the post 362 and the exit 138 of the first curve run 134 of the travel path assembly 130 is upstream of the connection vertex 382D secured to the post 368.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a path following arrangement having a catenary structure is provided. In connection with an exemplary execution of the method of the present invention, the method includes a step of loading a first carriage with a load and a step of disposing the first carriage for travel on a travel path assembly of a catenary structure. The catenary structure is configured with a travel path assembly delimiting a course along which the first carriage can travel while supported at a spacing from a reference surface and the travel path assembly including a first change of direction run having an entry and an exit. The first carriage has an engagement element operable to engage the travel path assembly in a manner that permits the first carriage to move relatively along the travel path assembly while being guided thereby and the first carriage being movable relatively along the travel path assembly in a travel direction such that the first carriage initially enters the first change of direction run via the entry thereof and thereafter exits the first change of direction run via the exit thereof during each passage of the first carriage along the first change of direction run.
Additionally, the catenary structure includes an upstream anchor location, a downstream anchor location, and an intermediate tie-in element, the upstream anchor location engaging a portion of the travel path assembly and the upstream anchor location and the intermediate tie-in element cooperating with one another to maintain the travel path assembly in a supported disposition such that the first carriage can travel along the course upstream of the first change of direction run, relative to the travel direction, while supported at a spacing from the reference surface. Moreover, the downstream anchor location engages a portion of the travel path assembly and the intermediate tie-in element and the downstream anchor location cooperate with one another to maintain the travel path assembly in a supported disposition such that the first carriage can continue to travel along the course while supported at a spacing from the reference surface after the first carriage has exited the first change of direction run.
The entry and the exit of the first change of direction run delimit an arc of a reference circle, the arc having a tangent. The travel path assembly and the intermediate tie-in element are operatively interconnected such that the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly can be restorably displaced, in a displacement direction perpendicular to the tangent of the arc delimited by first change of direction run of the travel path assembly, from a home disposition to a temporary displacement disposition in response to the application of a force on the travel path assembly during the travel of the first carriage along the first change of direction run and can be restored to its home disposition from its temporary displacement disposition. Additionally, the intermediate tie-in element has an upstream end and a downstream end and the upstream end of the intermediate tie-in element and the entry location of the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly are at a predetermined spacing from one another in a base disposition. The intermediate tie-in element and the travel path assembly are movable relative to one another such that the travel path assembly and the intermediate tie-in element can be restorably displaced from the base disposition in which the upstream end of the intermediate tie-in element and the entry location of the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly are at a predetermined spacing from one another to an offset disposition in which the upstream end of the intermediate tie-in element and the entry location of the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly have moved relative to one another in response to the application of a force on the travel path assembly, wherein the upstream end of the intermediate tie-in element and the entry location of the first change of direction run of the travel path assembly are at an offset spacing from one another that is different than the predetermined spacing from one another in the base disposition. The intermediate tie-in element and the travel path assembly are operable to be returned to their base disposition from their offset disposition.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to an embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2017/027226 | 4/12/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62325150 | Apr 2016 | US |
