AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE, IN PARTICULAR A ROLLERCOASTER

Abstract

An amusement park ride (1), in particular a rollercoaster, with at least one car (10) which can be moved in an exit direction out of an exit (C) from an amusement park ride (30) with a first orientation (e.g. “forward”) along a route (20) and, after the ride, the car (10) returns via an entrance (D) in an entry direction while maintaining the direction of travel, wherein the amusement park ride area (30) and the route (20) are designed in such a way that, while maintaining the direction of travel, the car (10) enters the entrance (D) of the amusement park ride area (30) in an entry direction, which is the opposite direction to the above-mentioned exit direction, enters, such that, in a subsequent ride, the car travels the route (20) in the opposite orientation (e.g. “backward”) to the first orientation (e.g. “forward”).

Description

The invention relates to an amusement park ride, in particular a rollercoaster, comprising at least one car which can be moved along a route with an exit direction from an exit from a ride area with a first orientation (e.g., “forward”), and in which the car returns after driving via an entrance with one direction of entry.

Rides of this kind are well known. For example, the “Europapark” amusement park in Rust, Germany, operates the “Alpenexpress” rollercoasters and the “Blue Fire” and “SilverStar” high-speed rollercoasters. In these well-known rollercoasters, a plurality of cars with seats are coupled to form a train, which moves out of an amusement park ride area, e.g., a station, from an exit of the ride area in the forward direction and travels along a route designed as a travel route. At the end of the ride, the train returns to the entrance of the amusement park ride area with the cars at the back of said area. These rollercoasters are designed so that passengers sit in their cars facing the route ahead. The majority of rollercoasters in operation are designed this way.

In the meantime, rollercoasters are also known in which the cars are arranged to rotate around their own axis while traveling on the rails. Depending on which position the car is currently in, the passengers sitting in it look in different directions. An example of such a rollercoaster is the “Euro-Mir” in the Europapark mentioned above.

Finally, rollercoasters are also known in which the car or train can either travel the route in the forward or backward direction. An example of such a rollercoaster is the “Fury” rollercoaster in Bobbejaaland, Lichtaart, Belgium. The special thing about this rollercoaster is that, before the ride, passengers can use buttons on their seats to vote whether the ride should be carried out forward or backward. The majority principle then determines the direction of travel. In the event of a tie, a random decision will be made as to whether the route should be traveled backward or forward. In order to be able to align the trains according to the selected direction of travel, there is a rotating platform in the amusement park ride area that turns the entire train in the corresponding direction.

Finally, so-called back and forth coasters are known in which, unlike roller-coasters, the cars do not travel along a closed route, but only travel back and forth on an open route. An example of such a back and forth ride is known from German patent no. 10 2014 103 226 B4. The route of this ride is substantially a straight line with route sections running almost vertically upward at both ends. The car can swing back and forth between the two ends, where, when driving forward through the middle section of the two vertically rising route sections, a so-called “power splash” is generated when the car is driven at high speed through a raised water level. An amusement park ride area in the form of a station is located on the side of the middle section of this ride and is equipped with a rotating mechanism to move the cars from the ride area onto the route.

The problem with the previously known rides and rollercoasters is the fact that relatively complicated and complex turning mechanisms have to be provided in order to provide a driving experience for the passengers that deviates from a simple forward route. It is either necessary to equip the cars themselves with a rotating mechanism or to provide what are known as rotating carousels in the amusement park ride area of the rides.

In addition, there is a need for conventional rollercoasters to provide passengers with different driving experiences, which should last as long as possible in accordance with the passengers' wishes. The driving experience for passengers is particularly disappointing when they ride along a relatively boring stretch of a rollercoaster and this rollercoaster ride possibly only lasts for a very short time because the route of the rollercoaster is short, for example for reasons of space. A possible solution to this problem could be to ride through the route two or three times in a row on a roller-coaster ride. However, over time the passengers begin to feel bored because the passenger is already familiar with the rollercoaster when they are driven through the route for the first time.

This is where the present invention begins.

The object of the invention is to provide an amusement park ride and in particular a rollercoaster, in which it is possible to travel the route with different driving impressions using simple means and without the use of complicated turning mechanisms.

This object is achieved by an amusement park ride and in particular a roller-coaster comprising the features of claim 1.

Further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims referring back to claim 1.

The ride according to the present invention therefore provides at least one car which can be moved from an exit from a ride area with a first orientation (e.g., forward) along a route and into which, after traveling, the car returns via an entrance with a direction of entry while maintaining its direction of travel. According to the invention, the amusement park ride area and the route are designed in such a way that the car passes the entrance to the amusement park ride area while maintaining its direction of travel throughout the entire journey, with a direction of entry that is opposite to the previous exit direction. This means that on a subsequent journey, the route can be easily traveled in the opposite orientation to the first orientation (“backward”), without the need for complex turning mechanisms.

The essential core of the present idea is that the car leaves the amusement park area in one direction of exit and, at the end, re-enters the amusement area in exactly the opposite direction after covering the route, without the car reversing in direction, as is the case when going back and forth. As a result of this measure, the car is already in the ride area with an orientation that was rotated by 180° to the previous ride. The car no longer needs to be laboriously turned in order to drive backward on the route for the next ride.

Appropriately, a complete ride for the passengers on such a rollercoaster consists of first completely traveling the route in the forward direction and then immediately covering the same route in the reverse direction. This has the decisive advantage that, firstly, the total travel time for the passenger is doubled and, secondly, the passenger is given two different driving experiences, namely forward travel and backward travel on the same route. Of course, it is within the scope of the invention that the car first travels backward along the route and then in the forward direction.

According to a further development of the invention, the amusement park ride area has both the exit and the entrance for the route on one of its sides, in particular the front. The advantage here is that the ride area can be designed relatively simply. For example, only the front and, if necessary, the two transverse sides need to be provided with decorative elements. The back of the amusement park ride area can also be connected to other buildings, for example. According to the invention, it is no longer necessary to pass through the ride area, as is the case with conventional rollercoasters. This creates optimal design options for the ride, even when space is limited.

According to a further development of the invention, the exit and entrance in the amusement park ride area are offset in height from one another. It is advisable that the exit be placed higher than the entrance. The exit can be designed in such a way that, simply because of the height of the exit, complex acceleration devices of the ride can be dispensed with or such acceleration devices only have to be used to a limited extent during the route. With such a height offset between the exit and entrance, it is advisable to provide a lifting device in order to raise the ride car from a lower level, specifically the entrance, to the upper level, specifically the exit.

Instead of a height offset of the exit and entrance or in addition to these, a lateral offset can also be implemented. As the exit and entrance are next to each other, lifting devices are not necessary. However, in this case, care must be taken to ensure that the car is accelerated for the following ride at or after the exit. This can be done with what are known as LSM accelerators, but also with devices in which the cars first overcome a height difference after leaving the ride area. For example, chain drives or gear drives or the like are suitable for this.

Instead of devices for height offset or lateral offset of the cars, it is also possible to provide a switch in the ride area or in the region of the ride area which ensures that the car can initially reach the actual route of the ride when exiting the ride area. At the end of the route, the car reaches the switch and returns to the amusement park ride area on the same rail line from which it previously started. It goes without saying that, with this solution, the car is rotated 180° in the amusement park ride area after the ride has ended and can be used for another ride.

It is also expedient for the car to be coupled to a route travel section, for example a rail section, in the region of the amusement park ride area. If the car moves vertically or sideways in the region of the amusement park ride area, the car and the route section are led out to the starting point or actual route.

In one embodiment of the invention, a station is provided at which passengers can get on and off the cars. Such a station can be located away from the amusement park ride area, but must then be connected to the ride area via a route section. However, it is also possible for the ride area itself to serve as a station for passengers and to be designed accordingly with an entry and exit platform.

The invention is explained in more detail below in connection with several drawings using exemplary embodiments. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an amusement park ride with a ride area in which a lifting device is arranged and a car that can be moved along a route in a first driving variant;

FIG. 2 shows the amusement park ride from FIG. 1 in a second amusement park ride variant;

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of an amusement park ride according to the invention with a switch in the area of the amusement park ride area in a first amusement park ride variant;

FIG. 4 shows the amusement park ride from FIG. 3 in a second amusement park ride variant; and

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of an amusement park ride in which the car can be moved laterally in the amusement park ride area.

In the following drawings, unless otherwise stated, the same reference numbers refer to the same parts with the same meaning.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an amusement park ride as it can be set up in an amusement park. The amusement park ride is provided with the reference number 1 and has one or more cars 10 that travel from an amusement park ride area 30 over a route 20 and arrive back at the amusement park ride area 30 at the end of the route 20. The route 20 is designed, for example, as a rollercoaster with different driving elements, e.g. loops, steep declines or climbs, helical winds, steep curves, or the like. The amusement park ride area 30 can be a station for the passengers. The station can also, as indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 1, be placed away from the amusement park ride area 30 and coupled to the amusement park ride area 30 via a route section portion 61. The station to be provided is designated by reference number 60 in FIG. 1.

The car 10 leaves the amusement park ride area at the front 31 thereof and has a suitable exit C here. After the car 10 leaves the exit C of the ride area 30 and then travels the route 20, the car 10 returns to the ride area via an entrance D 30. For this purpose, the entrance D of the ride area 30 is also arranged on the front 31 of the amusement park ride area 30. The entrance D of the amusement park ride area 30 is located at a height offset from exit C of the amusement park ride area 30 and, in the present case, significantly below exit C. In FIG. 1, the lower position for the car 10 in the amusement park ride area 30 is designated by the reference symbol A and the upper position, from which the car 10 can leave the amusement park ride area 30 via the exit C thereof, by the reference symbol B.

The car 10 can be raised from its lower position A to the upper position B via a suitable lifting device 40, which is located within the amusement park ride area 30 or in the region of the amusement park ride area 30.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, with such an arrangement of the ride 1 or the rollercoaster, the car 10, after completing the route 20, is in the lower position A and aligned in the opposite direction compared to the upper position B when the car C has left the ride area.

FIG. 1 shows the car C in the upper position B, facing forward toward the route 20. This means that the front 11 of the car 10 faces the route 20. The back 12 of the car 10 is aligned opposite to the route 20 and therefore points away from the route 20 in the alignment and orientation of the route 20 shown in FIG. 1. The car 10 usually has passenger receptacles, in particular seats. The arrow 30 indicates the direction of view of the passengers within the car 10 when they look straight ahead according to their seating position. The reference number 22 denotes the direction of travel of the car 10 on the route 20 in FIG. 1. The reference symbol X denotes the direction of exit of the car 10 directly on the exit C of the ride area 30. The direction of entry into the entrance D of the ride area 30 is designated by the reference symbol Y in FIG. 1. As seen directly in FIG. 1, the direction of entry Y is opposite to the direction of exit X, even though the car 10 does not change its direction of travel 22 over the entire route 20. However, the route for the cars 20 is designed in such a way that the car 10 enters the amusement park ride area 30 in the opposite direction to how it previously left. The passengers sitting in the car 10 therefore look in the exact opposite direction after arriving in the ride area 30 as they previously left the ride area 30. The reference number 13 in the lower position A of the ride area 30 indicates this.

After the car 10 has covered the route 20, starting from the upper position C in the amusement park ride area 30, and entered the entrance D of the amusement park ride area 30 in the opposite orientation, the passengers of the cars 10 will have completed a first lap of their ride. After the car 10 has arrived in the amusement park ride area 30 in the opposite orientation compared to the exit in the amusement park ride area 30, the lifting device 40 transports the car 10 to its upper position C, as shown in FIG. 2. The car 10 is then ready for a second lap. However, the passengers now sit in their passenger seats or seats facing backward to the route 20. The passengers then have a completely different driving experience on this second lap than on the first lap. In addition, the entire ride time is significantly extended by traveling the route 20 twice so that the riding pleasure for the passengers is also increased. The effect that the passengers have the same travel experience when traveling a route 20 twice, as was previously the case, is avoided by the opposite orientation of the passengers on the second lap.

As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cars 10 stand in the ride area 30 on route sections 27, which are lifted together with the cars 10 by the lifting device 40. These route sections 27 are designed in such a way that a seamless transition within the amusement park ride area 30 from these route sections 27 to the route 20 at the exit C or at the entrance D is guaranteed. The lifting device 40 not only lifts the car 10, but also the route section 27 assigned to this car 10, which is preferably designed as a short track section.

The operation of this additional track section 27 in the amusement park ride area 30 is as follows.

The car 10 is in its upper position C on this route section 27, which is directly coupled to the route 20. The car 10 can therefore drive out of the exit C via the route section 27 in the ride area 30 onto the route 20. After the car 10 has started from its upper position B onto the route 20, the route section 27 is moved to its lower position A via the lifting device 40 and coupled there to the end of the route 20. As a result, after completing the route 20, the car can enter the entrance D of the amusement park ride area 30 and drive onto the route section 27 provided there. In the next step, this route section 27 is brought together with the retracted car 10 back into the upper position B using the lifting device 40.

Although only a single car is shown in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, which travels on the route 20, several cars can also be provided for this purpose. For this purpose, parking and waiting areas, for example, in which a second car is for example waiting, are provided in the amusement park ride area 30.

In connection with FIGS. 3 and 4, a second exemplary embodiment of an amusement park ride is presented. Instead of a lifting device 40, the ride 1 now has a switch or a switch arrangement 24, which is placed within the amusement park ride area 30 or in the region of the amusement park ride area 30. At its front 31, the amusement park ride area 30 has a driveway that also serves as an entrance. The route section portion 27 is coupled to a route section 25 which is arranged between the amusement park ride area 30 and the switch 24. The car travels along this route section 25 both when leaving the amusement park ride area 30 and when entering the amusement park ride area 30.

The car 10 in turn has a front 11 and a back 12. The direction of view of the passengers in the car 10 is again marked with the reference number 13. When starting the amusement park ride area 30, the car 10 leaves the amusement park ride area 30 and first drives onto the route section 25 and then onto the switch 24, which is set in such a way that the car 10 initially travels up an incline in order to obtain sufficient energy for the subsequent route, in particular one rollercoaster ride. For this purpose, a towing section 26 of the route 20 follows the switch 24. For example, a gear drive, a chain drive, or the like can be provided for this purpose. It is also conceivable that an electromagnetic acceleration section follows the switch 24.

After the car 10 has left the switch 24, the switch 24 is switched to the dashed position shown in FIG. 3 so that the car 10 can come back into the amusement park ride area 30 after completing the route 20 via the previously traveled route section 25. The car 10 then stands in the amusement park ride area 30 in the opposite orientation compared to the position as it previously stood in the amusement park ride area 30.

This is shown in FIG. 4. The car 10 is then ready for the second lap of the route, and therefore the car 10 can travel the route 20 again, but with the opposite orientation. FIG. 5 shows a third exemplary embodiment of an amusement park ride 1.

The route 20 is only partially shown in the region of the exit C and in the region of the entrance D of the amusement park ride area 30. Instead of a lifting device, as is provided in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the amusement park ride area 30 now has a pushing device 50, which allows the car 10 and expediently also an associated route section 27 to be moved laterally. This lateral movement takes place in such a way that the car 10 along with the route section 27 is coupled to the route 20 at the exit C so that the car 10 can drive onto the route 20 via the exit C. The direction of exit is again shown with the reference symbol X. In this exemplary embodiment, there are two passenger receptacles in the form of seats 14 on the car 10. After the car 10 has left the exit C of the amusement park ride area 30, the car 10 completes its route on the route 20 and arrives at the amusement park ride area 30 at the entrance D again. The direction of entry Y is directed toward the amusement park ride area 30, while previously the exit direction X was directed away from the amusement park ride area 30. The car 10 therefore arrives in the amusement park ride area 30 with an opposite orientation. Once there, the car 10 is then moved laterally via the pushing device 50 such that it is back in its starting position in order to travel the route 20 again, but with the opposite orientation, for example backward. To move the car 10 from its entry position to the exit position, the pushing device 50 moves the car 10 as required. For this purpose, the car 10 advantageously stands on a platform 32. On this platform 32 there can also be a route section 27, which is coupled to the route 20 in the region of the exit C or in the region of the entrance D. In this exemplary embodiment it is once again ensured that, when driving through the route 20 twice, the passengers in the car 10 travel the route 20 once forward and once backward.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

• • 1 Amusement park ride
  • 10 Car
  • 11 Front
  • 12 Rear
  • 13 Direction of view
  • 14 Seats
  • 20 Route
  • 22 Direction of travel
  • 24 Switch
  • 25 Route section
  • 26 Towing section
  • 27 Route travel section
  • 28 Rail section
  • 30 Amusement park ride area
  • 31 Front
  • 32 Pushing platform
  • 40 Lifting device
  • 50 Pushing device
  • 60 Station
  • 61 Route section portion
  • A Lower position
  • B Upper position
  • C Exit
  • D Entrance
  • X Direction of exit
  • Y Direction of entry

Claims

1. An amusement park ride (1), in particular a rollercoaster, comprising at least one car (10) which can be moved along a route (20) with a first orientation (e.g. forward) in a direction of exit (X) from an exit (C) from an amusement park ride area (30) and into which the car (10) returns with a direction of entry (Y) after the route via an entrance (D), characterized in that the amusement park ride area (30) and the route (20) are designed in such a way that the car (10), while maintaining its direction of travel, enters the entrance (D) of the amusement park ride area (30) with a direction of entry (Y) that is opposite to the previous direction of exit (X) in order to travel the route (20) on a subsequent route in the orientation (e.g. “backward”) opposite to the first orientation (e.g. “forward”) .

2. The amusement park ride according to claim 1, characterized in that the amusement park ride area (30) has both an exit (C) and an entrance (D) for the route (20) on a front (31).

3. The amusement park ride according to claim 1, characterized in that the exit (C) and the entrance (D) are offset in height from one another.

4. The amusement park ride according to claim 1, characterized in that the exit (C) and the entrance (D) are laterally offset from one another.

5. The amusement park ride according to claim 1, characterized in that the amusement park ride area (30) has a lifting device (40), via which the car (10) can be moved from a lower position (A) to an upper position (B) in order to leave the amusement park ride area (30) from there via the exit thereof, wherein the car (10) can be moved into the entrance (D) of the amusement park ride area (30) in the lower position (A) after traveling the route (20).

6. The amusement park ride according to claim 1, characterized in that the route (20) in the region of the amusement park ride area (30) has a switch (24) and a route section (25), which can be traveled both when exiting and entering the amusement park ride area (30).

7. The amusement park ride according to claim 1, characterized in that the car (10) is coupled to a route section (28) in the region of the amusement park ride area (30) and can be moved together with the route section (28) during a vertical and/or lateral movement in the region of the amusement park ride area (30).

8. The amusement park ride according to claim 1, characterized in that the route (20) is at least partially designed as a rail route.

9. The amusement park ride according to claim 1, characterized in that the ride area (30) is a station where passengers can board the car (10).