Amusement ride employing a suspended tensioned static cable

Abstract

A recreational ride employs a suspended tensioned static cable that allows the user to gravitationally ride, harnessed to a rolling trolley attached to the cable, from an upper platform to a lower platform. The trolley includes a brake assembly that is attached to a brake arm through a bolted connection, which greatly reduces the cost and complexity of the brake assembly and reduces the chances of operator error when mounting the trolley on the cable. The brake assembly includes two adjacent, separate, aligned brake pads fabricated of different materials, a forward pad being a non-metallic material and a rearward pad being a metallic material. A wheel assembly portion of the trolley includes a sheave plate, bolted to a brake arm, that is permitted to pivot about its point of attachment to the brake arm to thereby eliminate fatigue forces on the wheel assembly.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT

This application is related to and incorporates by reference the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,634 issued Sept. 23, 2003, to the present inventor.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to suspended cable systems employed for a variety of purposes and, more particularly, to a recreational or amusement ride employing a suspended tensioned static cable system and a trolley or rolling device coupled thereto for gravitationally carrying a user along a span of the cable system between two cable support structures.

Suspended cable ride systems of various types are known in the prior art. The ride system described in the above-referenced patent employs a trolley, carrying a rider, that is adapted to travel along a cable suspended between upper and lower support structures. The trolley described in this reference includes a brake assembly that can be moved between an unlocked position that permits the rolling device to be attached to and removed from the suspended cable and a locked position that maintains the rolling device in its attached position on the suspended cable during a ride. It employs a single brake pad fabricated of a homogenous material that exhibits reduced braking effectiveness in the high moisture mountainous environments in which such ride systems are typically located. Furthermore, the trolley employed in this prior art ride system utilizes a cable wheel assembly that is fixed in position and is therefore susceptible to structural fatigue failure. The referenced prior art ride system also includes a terminal brake assembly that imposes undesirable forces on the rolling assembly during deceleration at the end of a ride.

It would therefore be advantageous to provide an improved trolley in accordance with the present invention, for use in suspended cable ride systems, and a terminal brake acceptor having a shroud member that is adjustable to accommodate parameters unique to each ride installation and having a stop for preventing damage to the nose of the trolley as it decelerates at the end of each ride. The trolley of the present invention includes a brake assembly that is attached to a brake arm through a bolted connection. This structural arrangement greatly reduces the cost and complexity of the brake assembly and also reduces the chances of operator error when mounting the trolley on the cable. The brake assembly includes two separate, aligned brake pads fabricated of different materials, a forward one of the pads being a non-metallic material and a rearward one being a metallic material to provide more reliable braking in high moisture environments. Thus, the operator is no longer required to rotate the single, bulky brake pad of the prior art trolley into its locked position at the beginning of each ride. A wheel assembly portion of the trolley of the present invention includes a sheave plate, bolted to a brake arm, that is permitted to pivot about its point of connection to the brake arm to thereby eliminate fatigue forces on the wheel assembly. A spring gate provided on the trolley of the present invention prevents separation of the trolley from the cable during a ride in the event of mechanical failure of the trolley itself

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial diagram of a trolley, constructed in accordance with the present invention, for use in a suspended static cable ride system.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the trolley of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial diagram of a terminal brake acceptor for use in a suspended static cable ride system, in which the position of a shroud member of the terminal brake acceptor is adjustable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a trolley 20 for use in suspended static cable ride systems of the type described in the above-cited reference. Trolley 20 includes a wheel assembly 30 having a cable wheel 32, a brake arm 34 to which a brake assembly 24 is attached, and a track guide 36 to which a rider's harness is attached. Wheel assembly 30 further includes a sheave plate 38 having a generally U-shaped inverted configuration. Cable wheel 32 is mounted for rotation within and near the top of sheave plate 38 by means of a bolt 31. A frontal leg of sheave plate 38 is in turn mounted to brake arm 34 by means of a bolt 33, about which sheave plate 38 is free to pivot. Sheave plate 38 is preferably spring-biased at bolt 33 so that its quiescent position is as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, generally perpendicular to brake arm 34. A pair of spaced apart, parallel, vertical channel members 40, 42 are attached to the outer surface of the frontal leg of sheave plate 38 to provide improved rigidity thereto and to retain the heads of bolts 31, 52. A distal leg of sheave plate 38 terminates just below cable wheel 32 to provide an opening for receiving a suspended static cable (not illustrated) of a ride system as trolley 20 is placed thereon in preparation for a ride. The termination of the distal leg of sheave plate 38 is formed as an inwardly turned hook 56. A spring gate 54 is fixedly attached to brake arm 34 directly below the termination of the distal leg of sheave plate 38 for releasable engagement with the hook 56 to prevent accidental separation of wheel assembly 30 from the suspended static cable on which it is mounted.

Trolley 20 includes a brake assembly 24 mounted at a rearward end of brake arm 34. Brake assembly 24 includes adjacent, longitudinally-aligned front and rear brake pads 50, 52, each having a slot formed in a top surface thereof for receiving the ride cable over which trolley 20 is placed, the slots being axially aligned. Front brake pad 50 is preferably fabricated of a non-metallic material such as nylon or UHMW, while rear brake pad 52 is preferably fabricated of a metallic material such as aluminum. Non-metallic front brake pad 50 serves to force away any moisture that may be present on the ride cable in advance of its contact with metallic rear brake pad 52. By eliminating any moisture from the ride cable in advance of its contact with metallic brake pad 52, the coefficient of friction between the two is more constant and the braking action is thus more predictable. The use of two brake pads 50, 52 in accordance with the present invention eliminates the hydroplaning effect observed in high moisture environments in the brake assemblies of the prior art which utilized only a single non-metallic brake pad. Two plates 60, 62 are mounted alongside the front and rear surfaces, respectively, of brake pads 50, 52 to serve as heat shields, protecting operating personnel from the possibility of contact with metallic brake pad 52, in particular.

A replaceable bumper 80 is provided atop the forward end or nose of brake arm 34 for contacting a terminal brake acceptor mounted at the lower end of the ride cable. Bumper 80 may be fabricated of a conventional hard rubber or polymeric material that is capable of absorbing the impact force resulting from trolley 20 impacting the terminal brake acceptor at the end of a ride. A back-up chain 82 is attached to brake arm 34 proximate the rear end thereof. A carabiner 83 or other common quick attachment device is provided at the free end of safety chain 82 for connection over the ride cable to prevent accidental separation of trolley 20 from the ride cable.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a terminal brake acceptor 64 positioned as is terminal brake acceptor 54 of the above-cited reference proximate the terminal end of a ride cable. Terminal brake acceptor 64 of the present invention includes a shroud 66 and a stop 68 mounted within shroud 66. The distance between shroud 66 and a cable clamp 67 of terminal brake acceptor 64 is arranged by any convenient means to be adjustable to accommodate parameters unique to each ride installation. Stop 68 is generally cylindrical in shape and is preferably fabricated of a hard plastic material such as UHMW or a hard rubber material to act as a bumper to dampen the deceleration forces exerted on trolley 20 as it enters terminal brake acceptor 64 at the end of a ride.

Claims

1. A trolley for use with an amusement ride of the type having upper and lower earth-mounted cable support structures positioned such that the upper cable support structure is at a higher terrain elevation than the lower cable support structure, at least one static tensioned riding cable connected between the upper and lower cable support structures, the trolley being adapted for removable rolling engagement with the riding cable, the trolley being further adapted to support a harnessed rider suspended therefrom, the trolley comprising:

a brake arm having a brake assembly mounted at a rearward end thereof, said brake assembly comprising longitudinally-aligned, adjacently-positioned front and rear brake pads, each of said brake pads having an upwardly-facing slot formed in a top surface thereof, the slots being axially aligned for receiving said riding cable, said front brake pad comprising a non-metallic material and said rear brake pad comprising a metallic material;

a cable wheel assembly connected to said brake arm so as to extend upwardly therefrom, said cable wheel assembly comprising a cable wheel adapted for rolling engagement with said riding cable, said cable wheel assembly comprising a sheave plate having a generally U-shaped inverted configuration, said cable wheel being mounted for rotation within said sheave plate and proximate a top end thereof, a first downwardly extending leg of said sheave plate being attached to said brake arm such that said sheave plate is free to pivot with respect to said brake arm at a point of attachment therebetween, a second leg of said sheave plate extending downwardly in parallel relationship to said first leg and being shorter in length than said first leg to form an opening for receiving said riding cable for engagement with said cable wheel.

2. A trolley as in claim 1, wherein said front brake pad comprises a non-metallic material.

3. A trolley as in claim 2, wherein said non-metallic material comprises nylon material.

4. A trolley as in claim 2, wherein said non-metallic material comprises UHMW material.

5. A trolley as in claim 1, wherein said rear brake pad comprises aluminum.

6. A trolley as in claim 1, wherein said brake assembly further comprises a pair of heat shield plates mounted so as to substantially cover an outer surface of each of said front and rear brake pads.

7. A trolley as in claim 1, wherein said brake arm further comprises a replaceable bumper mounted atop a forward end of said brake arm.

8. A trolley as in claim 7, wherein said bumper comprises a hard rubber material.

9. A trolley as in claim 7, wherein said bumper comprises a polymeric material.

10. A trolley as in claim 1, further comprising a back-up chain connected to said brake arm and an attachment device for loosely coupling said back-up chain to said riding cable.

11. An amusement ride comprising:

upper and lower earth-mounted cable support structures positioned such that said upper cable support structure is higher in elevation than said lower cable support structure;

at least one static tension riding cable connected between said upper and lower cable support structures;

a trolley adapted for removable rolling engagement with said riding cable, the trolley being further adapted to support a harnessed rider suspended therefrom, the trolley comprising a brake arm having a brake assembly mounted at a rearward end thereof, said brake assembly comprising longitudinally-aligned, adjacently-positioned front and rear brake pads, each of said brake pads having an upwardly-facing slot formed in a top surface thereof, the slots being axially aligned for receiving said riding cable, said front brake pad comprising a non-metallic material and said rear brake pad comprising a metallic material, said trolley further comprising a cable wheel assembly connected to said brake arm so as to extend upwardly therefrom, said cable wheel assembly comprising a cable wheel adapted for rolling engagement with said riding cable, said cable wheel assembly comprising a sheave plate having a generally U-shaped inverted configuration, said cable wheel being mounted for rotation within said sheave plate and proximate a top end thereof, a first downwardly extending leg of said sheave plate being attached to said brake arm such that said sheave plate is free to pivot with respect to said brake arm at a point of attachment therebetween, a second leg of said sheave plate extending downwardly in parallel relationship to said first leg and being shorter in length than said first leg to form an opening for receiving said riding cable for engagement with said cable wheel, a terminus of said second leg of said sheave plate being formed as an inwardly-turned hook, said cable wheel assembly further comprising a spring gate connected to said brake arm, said spring gate being arranged for releasable engagement with said hook; and

a terminal brake acceptor having a cable clamp member positioned over said riding cable proximate a terminal end thereof and having an inverted, generally V-shaped shroud member depending from said cable clamp member, said shroud member being adjustably coupled to said cable clamp member, said shroud member including a stop member positioned therein for dampening deceleration forces imposed on said trolley as it enters said terminal brake acceptor at the end of a ride.

12. An amusement ride as in claim 11, wherein said stop member comprises a plastic material.

13. An amusement ride as in claim 11, wherein said stop member comprises UHMW material.

14. A trolley as in claim 1, wherein said sheave plate is spring-biased at said point of attachment to said brake arm to urge said sheave arm to a quiescent position that is generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said brake arm.

15. A trolley as in claim 1, wherein:

a terminus of said second leg of said sheave plate is formed as an inwardly-turned hook; and

said cable wheel assembly further comprises a spring gate connected to said brake arm, said spring gate being arranged for releasable engagement with said hook.