NL2029247B1 - Amusement ride and method of assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

An amusement ride such as a ferris wheel comprising a wheel rotatable around a central rotation axis and a wheel support structure for rotatably supporting the wheel in a substantially upright position. The wheel has first and second wheel flange arranged nearthe central rotation axis ofthe wheel; a peripheral rim configured to support a plurality of passenger capsules; and a plurality of spokes extending radially from the wheel flanges to the peripheral rim. The wheel support structure comprises two masts with individual bearing assemblies each configured to rotatably support one of the wheel flanges. The bearing assemblies are directly connected to the masts and are not connected to each otherthrough a conventional hub.

Description

Amusement ride and method of assembly

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an amusement ride and specifically to a ferris wheel or observation wheel. The invention further relates to a wheel for an amusement ride and a method for assembly and disassembly of an amusement ride.

Background art

Amusement rides, such as ferris wheels and observations wheels are well known and have been built all over the world as touristic attractions. For example, EP2055362 A1 discloses a ferris wheel. The ferris wheel has a moving wheel, suspended for rotation about a shaft between two masts. The wheel is constructed from a plurality of spokes, which extend radially from the shaft and are connected at their ends by two ring segments. The two ring segments together form an outer rim of the wheel. Suspended between the two ring segments are a plurality of gondolas in which passengers can sit.

Disadvantageous to this ferris wheel is that its components are relatively heavy.

Consequently, heavy equipment and special transport vehicles may be required for the assembly and transport of the amusement ride. Specifically the shaft, also referred to as a hub or axle of the wheel, typically needs to be lifted and placed between the two masts using a crane. This is relatively expensive and time consuming. Moreover, the support structures and terrain where the amusement ride is placed needs to be suitable for carrying the heavy amusement ride.

It would be desirable to provide an amusement ride, which reduces the weight of the existing amusement rides and/or enables easier assembly of the amusement ride.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an amusement ride comprising a wheel rotatable around a central rotation axis and a wheel support structure for rotatably supporting the wheel in a substantially upright position, the wheel comprising: a peripheral rim configured to support a plurality of passenger capsules; a first wheel flange arranged around the central rotation axis of the wheel; a second wheel flange arranged around the central rotation axis of the wheel and spaced from the first wheel flange along the central axis; and a plurality of spokes extending radially from the wheel flanges to the peripheral rim. The wheel support structure comprises a first mast comprising a first bearing assembly configured to rotatably support the first wheel flange; and a second mast comprising a second bearing assembly configured to rotatably support the second wheel flange, wherein the first and second bearing assemblies are directly connected to the first and second mast respectively.

Here the term “amusement ride” is used to cover any apparatus in the amusement park industry that has a rotatable wheel. Specifically, both ferris wheels with gravity-oriented capsules as well as observation wheels that use other means to keep the capsules upright are considered covered by the term amusement ride.

The direct connection of the bearing assemblies to the masts enable a wheel structure wherein a traditional hub in the wheel is no longer required. This is advantageous as the overall construction is much lighter, mainly yielding advantages for transport and installation of the wheel.

Specifically, a crane is not needed to arrange a hub between the two masts.

Typically, no stationary connection having a structural purpose is provided between the first and second masts. It will be understood by the skilled person that this means that no stationary connection is required for the functionality or the structural support of the amusement ride. In embodiments, a stationary connection may be provided between the first and second masts for aesthetic purposes, or for the sake of a false security for having people believe that the wheel is sufficiently supported by the wheel support structure.

In an embodiment, each of the bearing assemblies is configured to support an axial load acting in a direction along the central rotation axis. Due to the absence of a stationary connection between the masts, the bearing assemblies need to support an axial load that is significantly larger than in traditional amusement rides. In an embodiment, the bearing assembly may comprise a slewing bearing. This type of bearing is particularly suited for supporting heavy but slow-turning loads. Alternatively, the bearing assemblies may for example be a sliding bearing or a type of roller bearing that can support axial loads.

In an embodiment, the first and second mast each comprise a top portion that is configured to receive the respective bearing assembly, wherein the top portion is configured to absorb the axial forces along the direction of the central rotation axis C. The forces that the mast needs to absorb are significantly larger than in an amusement ride with a wheel that rotates around a central hub.

Specifically, more forces need to be absorbed along the axial direction. To compensate for the larger forces, the mast has a top portion that is reinforced and configured to absorb the axial load from the bearing assembly.

In an embodiment, the wheel further comprises a plurality of connective elements extending from the first wheel flange to the second wheel flange, wherein the plurality of connective elements is configured to space the first and second wheel flanges from each other. The connective elements provide stability to the wheel, which in a conventional wheel would be provided by a traditional hub.

The connective elements are easy to handle and significantly less heavy than a traditional hub.

In an embodiment, the plurality of connective elements is arranged at a radial distance between 80 cm and 300 cm from the central rotation axis C of the wheel. The positioning of the connective elements is to a large extent dependent on the dimensions of the bearing assembly in the support structure that supports the wheel. Providing the connective elements relatively close to the center of the wheel enables an efficient transfer of forces through the wheel and improves the stability of the wheel.

In an embodiment, the connective elements are pins. The pins are preferably made of metal, such as iron or steel. Alternatively, beams or any other type of construction element that can sustain the forces developed in the wheel may be used. In addition, although a pin is typically straight, other connective elements may also comprise a knick-point or brace.

In an embodiment, the connective elements extend from the first wheel flange to the second wheel flange in a direction parallel to the central rotation axis C. Due to the connective elements extending in parallel to each other they do not cross each other. This enables an easy installation.

Nevertheless, it will be understood that alternative configurations are also possible. For example, the connective elements may also be arranged to extend in a transverse direction between the wheel flanges.

In an embodiment, each of the plurality of connective elements weights less than 50 kg, preferably less than 25 kg. The light-weight enables installation of the amusement ride without the use of additional lifting equipment. Further advantageous is that the total weight is divided over the plurality of connective elements. This eases installation.

In an embodiment, the peripheral rim comprises two rings interconnected through a plurality of rim connective elements. Alternatively, the rim may be made of a dense material. Specifically for observation wheels this is more customary, whereas the more open structure is preferable for traditional ferris wheels. The open structure reduces the weight and is more aerodynamic as it reduces wind resistance.

In an embodiment, each spoke comprises a first portion extending from the first wheel flange to the peripheral rim and a second portion extending from the second wheel flange to the peripheral rim, and wherein the first and second portion are connected to each other through a plurality of braces. This type of spoke provides good stability to the wheel. It will be understood however that also spoke patterns without braces are possible, wherein the spokes cross over and are alternatingly connected to the first and second wheel flange.

In a further embodiment, the braces extend diagonally with respect to the first and second portion. Here the term “diagonally” means that the braces connect the first and second portion along a trajectory that is not the shortest possible trajectory. Preferably, the braces are arranged to form a cross. Nevertheless, it will be understood that many variations to construct the wheel are possible.

For example, in an alternative embodiment the first and second portion may be connected through a plurality of beams extending in a direction parallel to the central axis and diagonal braces may be arranged to connect to one of the portions and the beam.

In a further embodiment, the wheel further comprises an annular support structure, connecting the spokes to each other, the annular support structure connecting to each spoke at a distance between 40 to 60% of the length of each spoke along its radial direction. The annular support structure provides lateral stability to the wheel. The wheel may comprise one or more annular support structures.

In an embodiment, a plurality of diagonal struts are connected to the annular support structure, preferably wherein each spoke comprises two diagonal struts. The diagonal struts provide a structure for connecting the passenger capsules. In an embodiment, each diagonal strut is configured to carry a passenger capsule.

In an embodiment, the peripheral rim inscribes a circle having a diameter of at least 20 m, or at least 50 m. The hubless wheel structure is suited for any size of ferris wheel. Nevertheless, it will be understood that for larger wheels the weight related advantages are larger.

In an embodiment, the connective elements are made of iron. Preferably, also the spokes are made of iron. Alternatively, the spokes and connective elements may be made of any other suitable type of structural materiall like a reinforced plastic or a metal, for instance steel.

In an embodiment, the amusement ride is transportable. Although the invention has advantages also for permanent ferris wheels and observation wheels, the wheel without central hub is particularly suited for transportable wheels. The omission of a hub in the amusement ride allows for the quick assembly and disassembly of the ferris wheel without using heavy lifting equipment.

In addition, its lower weight also eases transportation.

According to a second aspect of the invention and in accordance with the advantages described herein above, there is provided a wheel for an amusement ride.

According to a further aspect of the invention and in accordance with the advantages described herein above, there is provided a method for assembling an amusement ride, the method comprising: providing a wheel support structure comprising a first mast having a first bearing assembly and a second mast having a second bearing assembly; installing a wheel in the wheel support structure by connecting a first wheel flange of the wheel to the first bearing assembly and a second wheel flange of the wheel to the second bearing assembly; and connecting a plurality of connective members to the wheel flanges to extend between the first and second wheel flanges.

Specific for the method for assembling the amusement ride is that no machine lifting equipment such as a crane is required to install the wheel.

In an embodiment, the step of installing the wheel further comprises connecting a plurality of spokes to the wheel flanges; and unfolding the spokes and providing a plurality of rim connective elements to form a wheel, the wheel configured to rotate around a central rotation axis.

Short description of drawings

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts. In the drawings, like numerals designate like elements. Multiple instances of an element may each include separate letters appended to the reference number. For example, two instances of a particular element “20” may be labeled as “20a” and “20b”. The reference number may be used without an appended letter (e.g. “20”) to generally refer to an unspecified instance or to all instances of that element, while the reference number will include an appended letter (e.g. “20a") to refer to a specific instance of the element.

The present invention will be discussed in more detail below, with reference to the attached drawings, in which

Fig. 1A schematically shows a front view of a first embodiment of an amusement ride according to the invention.

Fig. 1B shows a side view of the amusement ride in Fig. 1A.

Fig. 1C shows a detail of the connection of the wheel to the mast in the amusement ride of

Fig. 1A.

Fig. 2A shows a perspective view of a wheel for an amusement ride.

Fig. 2B shows a detail of the centre of the wheel in Fig. 2A.

Description of embodiments

The following is a description of certain embodiments of the invention, given by way of 5 example only and with reference to the figures.

Figure 1A schematically shows a front view of a first embodiment of an amusement ride 1.

The amusement ride 1 has a wheel 2, a wheel support structure 3, a base 4, a drive mechanism 5, a passenger platform 6, and passenger capsules 7. The wheel 2 is rotatable around the central axis

C. The wheel support structure 3 holds the wheel 2 in a substantially upright position while enabling its rotation around the central axis C. The wheel support structure 3 is mounted on the base 4 and driven by the drive mechanism 5 that is arranged near the base 4. The drive mechanism drives rotation of the wheel 2 and can be operated to start and stop to allow passengers on the platform 6 to access the passenger capsules 7 and take a ride.

The wheel 2 has a plurality of spokes 8 and a peripheral rim 10. The spokes 8 extend radially outward from the central axis C toward the peripheral rim 10 to provide the wheel 2 with stability. The rim 10 supports the capsules 7. The rim 10 is approximately circular and is formed by a regular polygon having 45 edges. The height of the wheel (i.e., the diameter of the wheel inscribed by the polygon) is approximately 70 meters. The wheel 2 is therefore particularly suited for use on fairs and in theme parks.

Figure 1B schematically shows a side view of the amusement ride 1 in Fig 1A. For the sake of clarity, the capsules 7 have been omitted. The rim 10 has two identical rings 11a, 11b and a plurality of rim connective elements 12 that connect the two rings 11. Each of the rings 11a and 11b define a wheel face 9a and 9b. The spokes 8 provide a large number of connections between the two wheel faces 9 to provide stability to the wheel 2.

The wheel support structure 3 comprises two masts 31a, 31b arranged adjacent to the wheel faces 9a, 9b. The masts 31 extend between the base 4 and the rotation axis C. Specific according to the invention is that the masts 31 are not connected through a hub, shaft, axle, or other type of structure that directly connects the first mast 31a to the second mast 31b. Instead the wheel 2 is configured to take up all forces developed when the wheel 2 is rotated.

Figure 1C shows a detail of the connection of the wheel 2 to the two masts 31a, 31b. Each mast 31 has a body 33, top portion 34, and a bearing assembly 32. The bearing assembly 32 comprises a slewing bearing. A slewing bearing can typically support a heavy, yet slowly-oscillating load and is therefore particularly suited for the application in the amusement ride. Due the lack of a central hub in the wheel, the axial loads are typically significantly larger than in traditional wheels with a hub and therefore this different type of bearing is applied.

Each bearing assembly 32 is in direct contact with a connection surface of the top portion 34 of the respective masts 31. The top portions 34 comprises a cone shape, extending from the mast body 32. The cone shape provides additional strength to absorb the axial loads and torque from the wheel 2.

Each wheel face 9a, 9b is provided with a circular flange 21a, 21b. The bearing assembly 32 is configured to receive the circular flange 21. The spokes 8 are placed under tension and extend radially outward from the circular flange 21 towards the peripheral rim 10. Between the spokes 8 in the first wheel face 9a and in the second wheel face 9b, a plurality of connective elements 24 extend. The connective elements 24 are cylindrical pins that extend substantially parallel to the central rotation axis C and can take up pressure forces developed in the wheel 2. The structure of the wheel 2 near its center will be discussed in more detail in relation to Figure 2B below.

The connective elements 24 can be made of steel. It will be clear that any other suitable constructing material is conceivable to make the connective elements 24. Each connective element is approximately 225 cm long and has a diameter of 6 cm. In this specific embodiment, one connective element 24 is provided for each spoke 8. Alternatively, fewer or more connective elements 24 may be used. In addition, the connective elements 24 not necessarily need to be straight nor need to be parallel to the central axis. The connective elements 24 are in this embodiment connected to the spokes 8, but may alternatively directly be connected to the flange 21.

Advantageous to this construction with connective elements 24 is the relatively light weight of the ferris wheel. The total construction of the ferris wheel is approximately 350 T kg. The fifteen connective elements 24 together weigh only 250 kg. For comparison, in a conventional amusement ride, a hub arranged in the central axis of the wheel have would have weighted approximately 15000 kilograms. Consequently heavy equipment is typically required to arrange the hub in position at the center of the ferris wheel. Moreover, the hub is a single heavy component, whereas the weight in the hubless amusement ride according to the invention is distributed over the plurality of connective elements 24.

Figure 2A shows a perspective view of the wheel 2. Each spoke 8 has two portions 13a, 13b extending from the center of the wheel to the peripheral rim 10. The portions 13 are connected to each other through a plurality of diagonal braces 14. The braces 14 provide lateral stability to the wheel 2. In addition, three annular support structures 15, 16, 17 are arranged in the wheel. Each annular support structure connects subsequent spokes 8 to each other. In this specific embodiment, the annular support structures are provided in the wheel faces. Nevertheless, it will be understood that alternatively also beams can be considered extend from one wheel face to another that cross each other.

Figure 2B shows a detail of the wheel 2 around the central axis C. As explained above, there is no axle connecting the first wheel face 9a with the second wheel face 9b. Instead the circular flanges 21 can be connected to the masts 31 through the bearing assembly 32 as discussed in relation to Fig. 1A above.

The circular flange 21 has an annular body 22 protruding outward form the wheel faces 9 and configured to be received in the bearing assembly 32. The annular body can thereby transfer the axial loads from the wheel to the bearing assembly 32. The circular flange 21 further comprises an attachment ring 23 extending from an outer circumference of the annular body 22. The connective elements 24 extend between the attachment rings 23 of the first and second wheel flanges 21. In this specific embodiment, the connective elements are not directly connected to the attachment ring 23, but are instead connected to the spokes 8. Alternatively, the connective elements 24 may also be connected to the attachment rings 23 directly.

Claims (20)

Conclusions An amusement ride comprising a wheel rotatable about a central axis of rotation and a wheel support structure for rotatably supporting the wheel in a substantially upright position, the wheel comprising: a peripheral rim configured to support a plurality of passenger pods; a first wheel flange disposed about the central axis of rotation of the wheel; a second wheel flange disposed about the central axis of rotation of the wheel and spaced from the first wheel flange along the central axis; and a plurality of spokes extending radially from the wheel flanges to the peripheral edge, the wheel support structure comprising: a first mast including a first bearing assembly configured to rotatably support the first wheel flange; and a second mast including a second bearing assembly configured to rotatably support the second wheel flange, the first and second bearing assemblies being directly connected to the first and second mast, respectively. The amusement ride of claim 1, wherein each of the bearing assemblies is configured to support an axial load in a direction along the central rotational ash. The amusement ride of claim 2, wherein at least one of the bearing assemblies comprises a pivot bearing. An amusement ride according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second mast each include an upper portion configured to receive the respective bearing assembly, the upper portion configured to absorb axial forces in the direction of central rotation C to absorb. An amusement ride according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein no stationary connection with a structural purpose is provided between the first and second mast. An amusement ride as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the wheel further comprises a plurality of connecting elements extending from the first wheel flange to the second wheel flange, the plurality of connecting elements being configured to space the first and second wheel flanges apart. An amusement ride according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of connecting elements are arranged at a radial distance between 80 cm and 300 cm from the central axis of rotation C of the wheel. An amusement ride according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the connecting elements are pins. An amusement ride according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the plurality of connecting elements extend from the first wheel flange to the second wheel flange in a direction parallel to the central axis of rotation C. An amusement ride according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the number of connecting elements weighs less than 50 kg, preferably less than 25 kg. An amusement ride according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the peripheral edge comprises two rings mutually connected by a plurality of edge connecting elements. An amusement ride according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each spoke comprises a first portion extending from the first wheel flange to the circumferential edge and a second portion extending from the second wheel flange to the circumferential edge, and wherein the first and second portions are connected to each other by means of several struts. The amusement ride of claim 12, wherein the struts extend diagonally from the first and second portions. An amusement ride according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the wheel further comprises an annular support structure connecting the spokes, the annular support structure being connected to each spoke at a distance between 40 and 60% of the length of each spoke along its radial direction. An amusement ride according to claim 14, wherein a plurality of diagonal struts are connected to the annular strut structure, preferably each spoke comprising two diagonal struts. An amusement ride according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the circumferential edge circumscribes a circle with a diameter of at least 20 m, or at least 50 m. 17. Amusement attraction according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the amusement attraction is transportable. A wheel for an amusement ride according to any one of claims 1-17. 19. Method for assembling an amusement attraction, the method comprising: - providing a wheel support structure comprising a first mast with a first bearing assembly and a second mast with a second bearing assembly, - installing a wheel in the wheel support structure by a first connecting a wheel flange of the wheel to the first bearing assembly and a second wheel flange of the wheel to the second bearing assembly; connecting a plurality of connectors to the wheel flanges to extend between the first and second wheel flanges. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of installing the wheel further comprises: - connecting a plurality of spokes to the wheel flanges; and unfolding the spokes and providing a plurality of edge connecting elements to form a wheel, the wheel being configured to rotate about a central axis of rotation. -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-