LARGE CAPACITY SWING TYPE AMUSEMENT RIDE

Abstract

An amusement ride with at least two flight support towers and a lift tower. The support towers are spaced apart with a gondola suspended from a support structure therebetween by flight cables. The lift tower has a lift cable with release mechanism to bring the gondola up into a launch position. When released, the gondola swings from the support structure on the flight cables. The support structure includes a bridge extending between support towers. The bridge comprises a track with parallel rails extending along the gondola flight path and a sled movably mounted on the track. A swing damper system is provided to arrest the motion of the gondola and bring it to a controlled stop. The damper system includes a rack-and-pinion system acting between the bridge and the sled. The pendulum motion of the gondola pulls the sled back and forth on the track, such that the sled provides a passive braking force against the swing motion of the gondola. Additional ride features are also described.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority and benefit of U.S. application No. 63/425,137 filed Nov. 14, 2022, which is incorporated-by-reference herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Amusement rides continue to remain popular and there is always a desire to have new ones to drive attendance. To be successful, rides should meet certain basic requirements: safety, capacity and speed of loading and unloading. Increasingly, there is a demand for rides with a relatively small geographic footprint that are attractive and qualify as a thrill ride-one that has a sense of danger for the riders.

The foregoing example of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.

SUMMARY

The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements.

A large capacity swing type amusement ride comprises three towers and a rider gondola suspended from a primary support structure. Two towers support the primary support structure, and another tower is a lift tower. The primary support structure may be an arch shape, A-frame or other structurally stable configuration. The height of the support structure can be theoretically any height, though typical embodiments are generally between 100 and 300 feet tall. The support structure supports the swinging weight of the multi-person gondola. The gondola is suspended from the support structure by a set of flight cables attached to a movable sled that traverses the support structure in the direction of the flight path. The sled traverses rails fixed to the support structure, similar to a large playground swing attached to a rollercoaster. The ride may or may not include a vertical offset system that raises the gondola above ground level into a higher flight position and lowers the gondola back to ground level for loading riders. The gondola is pulled into its initial launch position by a lift cable system attached to the lift tower. After the gondola has reached the apex of the initial lift, the gondola is released and free to swing from the support structure. The movable sled on the support structure is actively and passively controlled to dampen the swing momentum and allow the gondola to come to a complete stop in a timely manner for purposes of rider operation, preferably after approximately 14-16 swings. A slew ring bearing assembly is integrated into the gondola which allows the gondola to freely rotate relative to the flight cables and supporting structure.

In addition to aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding structures in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description below utilizes one or more example embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a swing type amusement ride with the gondola in motion;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a swing type amusement ride with the gondola in the loading/unloading position;

FIG. 2B is a side view of the ride showing the flight path arc;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an example gondola;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the gondola;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the top of the gondola chassis showing a slew ring bearing assembly;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the gondola chassis with the rider carriages omitted and a release mechanism attached to the lift arm;

FIGS. 7A-7E are perspective views an example flight offset system, where FIG. 7A shows one end of a sled with the flight offset system in a gondola loading position, FIG. 7B shows the flight offset system lifting the gondola, FIG. 7C shows the flight offset system in a fully lifted position, FIG. 7D shows the flight offset system in a flight position with locks moved into a locking position, and FIG. 7E shows another view of the flight offset system in the flight position;

FIGS. 8A-8E depict another possible design of a flight offset system, where FIGS. 8A and 8B are perspective views showing one end of a sled with the flight offset system in the lifted flight position, FIG. 8C is another closer perspective view showing the frame with locking block in the flight position, FIG. 8D is a side view showing the flight offset system in the lowered gondola loading position, and FIG. 8E is another perspective view showing the flight cables pivoted relative to the cable mount component of the flight offset system;

FIGS. 9A-9C show a side view (FIG. 9A), an end view (FIG. 9B), and a top view (FIG. 9C) of the large capacity amusement ride with the gondola in the launch position;

FIG. 10 is a closeup side view of the gondola in the launch position;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are side views of an example release mechanism device in a locked position (FIG. 11A) and open position (FIG. 11B);

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a tower bridge and damping system;

FIG. 13 is a side view of part of the bridge and damping system;

FIG. 14 is another side view of the motion damping system and the track;

FIG. 15 is a top view taken from the perspective of line 15-15 of FIG. 14 below the platform of the bridge base structure;

FIG. 16 is a top perspective view of the sled by itself;

FIG. 17 is an end view of the sled including the flight offset system (partially cutoff) with the bridge structure indicated by hatching;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the top of the flight support tower complex with the sled slid forward with the gondola in launch position;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the top of the flight support tower complex of FIG. 18 further showing the gondola and top portion of the lift tower;

FIG. 20 is a side view of the bridge with the sled all the way at one end of the track;

FIG. 21 is a side view of the sled in the middle of the track;

FIG. 22 is a side view of the sled all the way at the other end of the track;

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of an example swing damper control system;

FIGS. 24-27 are sectional side views through a gondola showing an example parking system at various stages of deployment, with the views of FIGS. 24 and 25 oriented in the X-direction and the views of FIGS. 26 and 27 oriented in the Y-direction.

Before explaining example embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown in the drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2B, as well as FIGS. 9A-9C, a large capacity swing type amusement ride 100 comprises a set of three towers 103, 104, 107 and a rider gondola 300. Two support towers 103, 104 are spaced apart with a support structure 105 extending therebetween forming a flight support tower complex 101. The support structure 105 provides a bridge and swing damping system discussed below. The gondola 300 is suspended via flight cables 113, 114 from a sled 1604, which sits on rails fixed to the bridge of the support structure 105 as discussed in more detail below, and swings between the towers 103, 104 during operation similar to a large playground swing.

A lift tower 107 is positioned along an axis (Y axis) which is perpendicular to a line drawn between the other two towers (X axis) at a distance away in the +Y direction. The lift tower 107 has a lift cable 108 powered by a winch 120 (see FIG. 9A). The lift cable 108 originates near the base of the tower 107, extends up the tower 107 to a sheave 121 near the apex, and wraps around the sheave 121 to extend down to the gondola 300. The lift cable 108 terminates with a release mechanism 1500 that lifts and subsequently releases the gondola 300 into flight. When the gondola 300 reaches flight altitude at the launch position or location 109, the release 1500 is unlocked and the gondola 300 swings freely in an arc motion, suspended only from the flight cables 113, 114 along the flight path 201 in the Y axis shown in FIG. 2B. The gondola 300 swings freely for a period of time as its amplitude reduces due to energy losses in the pendulum system from friction, such as air resistance, as well as due to the swing damping system which removes energy as the gondola 300 swings back and forth.

Referring next to FIGS. 3-6, the gondola 300 has a chassis 301 with rider seats 302 mounted to the chassis 301. In the depicted embodiment, the gondola chassis 301 has octadecagon shaped lower frame with eighteen rider seats 302 bolted thereon. Other shapes and number of rider seats are possible. The flight cables 113, 114 terminate at the gondola's two pivot points 303, 304. The gondola 300 is preferably attached to each tower 103, 104 by more than one flight cable for redundancy. In the depicted embodiment, the ride 100 has four total flight cables, with the gondola pivot point 303 attaching two flight cables 113 and the gondola pivot point 304 attaching two flight cables 114, wherein the flight cables 113 form a V shape with the flight cables 114 between the towers 103, 104. To prevent the flight cables 113, 114 from twisting, the gondola chassis 301 is rotatably connected to a central hub 305 (where pivots 303, 304 are mounted) via a bearing assembly 307 which includes an inner slewing ring 308 and an outer slewing ring 309 (see FIG. 5). The bearing assembly 307 includes an inner slewing ring 308, which is fixed with respect to the central hub 305, and an outer slewing ring 309, which is fixed with respect to the chassis 301. The slewing rings 308, 309 are movable relative to one another, thus enabling rotational movement of the chassis 301 with seats 302 relative to the central hub 305 with flight cable attachments 303, 304. The presence of the bearing assembly 307 thus results in the gondola 300 not necessarily touching down on ground level at the same rotational position each time.

The gondola 300 has a lifting arm 310 attached to the center flight hub 305 with the pivot points 303, 304. The release mechanism 1500 (described below) connects to a lifting pin 312 of the lifting arm 310 in order to lift the gondola 300 to its flight altitude at the launch position 109. The lifting arm 310 is designed to allow a center vertical axis of the gondola 300 to pivot from 0° relative to vertical at start to an angle of approximately 61.5° when raised to the launch position 109 (see also FIG. 10). Preferably, the vertical axis of the gondola 300 is within 20° of the axis of the flight cables 113, 114 at the launch position 109. This provides a smoother ride experience by reducing wobble since the axis of the gondola 300 is colinear or at least relatively aligned with the axis of the flight cables 113, 114 at release. The gondola 300 is in a rider loading/unloading position when resting on the gondola legs 311. Once all the riders are secured in the rider seats with locked restraints 302, the whole gondola 300 is lifted off the ground a chosen height to a flight position by a flight offset system 700. In the depicted embodiment, the chosen height is at least about 100 inches vertically, which is sufficient to maintain clearance off the ground in the event of a cable failure of any one of the four flight cables 113, 114.

FIGS. 7A-7E show an example flight offset system 700 for the lifting the gondola 300 to the flight position. The flight offset system 700 allows the gondola 300 to load and unload from ground level and then be raised for the ride cycle to ensure that the gondola 300 maintains clearance from ground obstructions during the ride cycle. The flight offset system 700 is installed on the support structure 105 between the support towers 103, 104. In particular, the flight offset system 700 here is mounted on the sled 1604 of the swing dampening system discussed below. Each lateral side of the sled 1604 has a respective flight offset system 700 to raise and lower the respective flight cables 113 or 114. The flight offset systems 700 on either side are identical in design and operation, such that descriptions for one side apply equally to the other side. Preferably, a hydraulic control system with position tracking keeps both sides operating in sync. Each flight offset system 700 has a frame 701 pivotably attached to the sled at one end via first axle 702, such that the frame 701 can move between the rider loading position shown in FIG. 7A and the flight position shown in FIG. 7E. The opposite end of the frame 701 has a second axle 703 that pivotably attaches a flight cable mount 704. Two flight cables 113 or 114 are attached to each respective flight cable mount 704. The flight cable mount 704 is pivotably attached at the second axle 703 to balance the load on the flight cables throughout the entire range of the swing. The flight cables pivot in the primary back-and-forth swing direction around a lower axle 712 of the cable mount 704. A lower plate of the cable mount 704 may be pivotably mounted about the lower axle 712, with the flight cables 113 or 114 connected to such lower plate. An encoder 1620 measures the angle of the flight cable via the rotational motion of the shaft 712, which can then be used to determine the position and velocity of the gondola 300. This rotary encoder data is provided to a programmable logic controller to manage the damping system. The raising and lowering of each flight offset system 700 is actuated by one or more actuators 705, such as hydraulic cylinder or electric linear actuators for example. Once the frame 701 is brought up to its highest reach as shown in FIG. 7C, two locking blocks 706 can be slid out along the frame of the sled by respective locking actuators 708, such as hydraulic cylinder or electric linear actuators for example. The frame 701 has two lock rests or stops 710, whereby the locking blocks 706 are extendable until the locking blocks 706 are under the lock rests 710 as shown in FIG. 7D. The frame 700 is then lowered to rest on the locking blocks 706 with the gondola 300 now in the flight position. The raised frame 701 positionally secured with lock stops 710 on the locking blocks 706 provides a safe, positive connection for flight. The flight offset system 700 is preferably controlled by a hydraulic system 1624 mounted onboard the sled. To bring the system 700 back into the rider loading position, the locking blocks 706 are retracted and the actuators 705 extend to lower the frame 701 into the position shown in FIG. 7A.

Another example flight offset system 700 is shown in FIGS. 8A-8E. The flight offset system 700 is mounted on either side of the sled 1604 as already discussed. One end of a frame 701 is pivotably attached about first axle 702 to the sled 1604 such that the frame 701 can move between the loading position and the flight position. The opposite end of the frame 701 has a second axle 703 that pivotably attaches the flight cable mount 704 carrying the flight cables to the frame 701. Two flight cables 113 or 114 are attached to each respective flight cable mount 704. The flight cable mount 704 is pivotably attached at the second axle 703 to balance the load on the flight cables throughout the entire range of the swing. The flight cables pivot in the primary back-and-forth swing direction around a lower axle 712 of the cable mount 704. A lower plate 714 of the cable mount 704 is pivotably mounted about the lower axle 712, with the flight cables 113 or 114 connected to this lower plate 714 (see FIG. 8E). An encoder 1620 measures the angle of the flight cable via the rotational motion of the shaft 712, which can then be used to determine the position and velocity of the gondola 300. This rotary encoder data is provided to a programmable logic controller to manage the damping system. The raising and lowering of each flight offset system 700 is actuated by at least one actuator 705, such as a hydraulic cylinder or electric linear actuator for example. Once the frame 701 is brought up to its highest reach, locking blocks 706 can be slid out along the frame of the sled 1604 by respective locking actuators 708, such as hydraulic cylinder or electric linear actuators for example (see FIG. 8C). The frame 701 has two lock rests or stops 710, whereby the locking blocks 706 are extendable until the locking blocks 706 are under the lock rests 710. The frame 701 is then lowered to rest on the locking blocks 706 with the gondola 300 now in the flight position. The raised frame 701 positionally secured with lock stops 710 on the locking blocks 706 provides a safe, positive connection for flight. The flight offset system 700 is preferably controlled by a hydraulic system 1624 mounted onboard the sled. To bring the system 700 into the rider loading position, the locking blocks 706 are retracted and the actuator 705 extends to lower the frame 701 into the position shown in FIG. 8D. FIG. 8E shows the position of the flight cable mount 704 when the gondola 300 is in the launch position.

According to another example offset system 700, the base surface 2710 in the gondola loading area (see FIGS. 24-27) is a height adjustable platform base 2710. In this embodiment, the adjustable platform base 2710 is lowered away from the gondola 300 in order to provide the desired vertical clearance above ground after the passengers have been secured and the ride sequence initiated.

Referring again to FIGS. 9A-9C and 10, to initiate a new ride cycle after a previous ride cycle, the lift cable 108 and release mechanism 1500 (discussed below) are lowered by the winch 120 at the base of the lift tower 107 unreeling the lift cable 108 through the lift tower 107 over the lift rope sheave 121. One or more additional sheaves 122 may also be provided within the lift tower 107 to guide the lift cable 108. The release mechanism 1500 is guided towards the gondola 300 underneath the towers 103, 104 via the two guide cables 111, 112, which are connected to the flight tower complex 101, for example the flight towers 103, 104 or structure 105, in a V-shape arrangement. Once lowered to the parked gondola 300, the release mechanism 300 is locked over the connecting point 312 of the lift arm 310 (see also FIGS. 4 and 6).

After the gondola 300 is offset from the ground into the flight position by the flight offset system 700 as described above, the lift winch 120 retracts the lift cable 108 to pull the gondola 300, guide cables 111, 112, and flight cables 113, 114 upward toward the apex of the lift tower 107 to a launch location 109 as shown in FIG. 9A. The lifting winch 120 may be a hydraulic winch for example. The winch 120 is preferably fitted with a counterbalance valve that can control the unwinding speed of the drum if the drum brake has to be manually released (via brake handle) in the event of loss of power, or if the gondola 300 needs to be lowered manually from a lifted position for any reason.

The flight cables 113, 114 are preferably galvanized braided wire rope, selected in accordance with ASTM requirements and cable manufacturer recommendations. The lift and guide cables 108, 111, 112 are preferably constructed of a synthetic fabric to prevent excessive spring-back after the gondola's release. A parallel core is preferred over braided due its lower elasticity (lower tendency to stretch) which is desirable for a system that suddenly releases a large load. Spring-back is also preferably minimized by pre-tensioning the lift cable 108 before releasing the gondola 300 from the release mechanism 1500. The tension in the lift cable 108 can then be released in a controlled manner.

As seen in FIGS. 11A and 11B, an example release mechanism device 1500 is configurable between a closed position (FIG. 11A) and an open position (FIG. 11B). The release mechanism device 1500 lifts the gondola 300 to its flight altitude and quickly releases the gondola 1500 into its free swing. The release 1500 comprises a body 1502 and a hook 1504. The hook 1504 is rotatable relative to the body 1502 about axis 1506 to switch between the open and closed positions. In this embodiment, the body 1502 comprises two side plates connected to one another with the hook 1504 mounted therebetween. The other side of the body 1502 is the same as the one seen in FIGS. 11A and 11B and therefore not shown separately. The hook 1504 captures the gondola's lifting pin 312, which rotates freely on the lifting arm 310 of the gondola 300, in a lifting slot 1508 as indicated in FIG. 11A. For control of the release mechanism, the release device 1500 further comprises an actuator 1510 and a linkage 1512 with two links 1513, 1514. The actuator 1510 may be a hydraulic cylinder or electric linear actuator for example. The links 1513, 1514 are mounted to the body 1502 and hook 1504 at connection points 1515, 1516 respectively, and attached to each other via connection point or pin 1517. The connection pin 1517 is arranged in a slot 1518 of the piston rod 1519 of the actuator 1510. The release mechanism 1500 also includes attachment point 1520 connecting the guide cables 111, 112 and attachment point 1521 connecting the lift cable 108 (see also FIG. 10). The range of motion of the hook 1504 about the pivot axis 1506 is defined by stop surfaces 1523, 1524, which may be provided by transverse plates of the body 1502 extending and fixed between the two side plates of the body 1502. The lower stop 1523 limits the hook 1504 in the closed position of FIG. 11A. The upper stop 1524 limits the hook 1504 in the open position of FIG. 11B.

The release system 1500 uses an over-center mechanism to keep the gondola 300 safely locked during ascent, such that when the gondola's weight hangs on the hook 1504, the linkage 1512 rotates to a bottoming out surface that it cannot surpass as seen in FIG. 11A. The ability for the release mechanism device 1500 to mechanically lock is based on the combined length of the links 1513, 1514 being longer than the distance between the link pins 1515, 1516 at the point at which the links 1513, 1514 are parallel with one another. This is otherwise known as an “over-center” linkage. When the links 1513, 1514 are above parallel, the hook 1504 can open freely as seen in FIG. 11B. When the links 1513, 1514 are below the parallel line with respect to one another, the links 1513, 1514 clamp downward to stopping surface 1525, thus preventing the hook 1504 from opening. In this way, the over-center linkage 1512 uses a load carried by the hook 1504 to bias the hook 1504 into the closed position.

When ready to release the gondola 300, the actuator 1510 is retracted to pull on the over-center linkage 1512 until it passes the 180° parallel line, at which point the linkage 1512 flies open and the connection pin 1517 moves along the slot 1518 in the direction of the actuator 1510 as seen in FIG. 11B. Without the counterforce of the linkage system, the load of the gondola 300 causes the hook 1504 to swing open and release the gondola's lifting pin 312 from the slot 1508. The stop surface 1524 arrests the opening motion of the hook 1504. In the depicted example, the actuator 1510 is arranged on the body 1502 above the linkage 1512. In another embodiment, the actuator 1510 is arranged on the body 1502 below the linkage 1512, for example between the two plates of the body 1502 in the area of sensor 1525. In this case, when ready to release the gondola 300, the actuator 1510 is extended to push the over-center linkage 1512 until it passes the 180° parallel line, at which point the linkage 1512 flies open and the connection pin 1517 again moves upward along the slot 1518, allowing the hook 1504 to rapidly open about the pivot axis 1506.

A camera 1526 is preferably mounted on the bottom of the release mechanism device 1500. This allows an operator to monitor the condition of the ride and lifting connection during the lifting process. Two sensors 1527, 1528 are preferably used to verify that the release mechanism device 1500 is properly locked before lifting the gondola 300 to the launch position 109. Because of the over-center linkage mechanism, there is the possibility of instances where the linkage 1512 is locked, but the hook 1504 is open, or where the hook 1504 is closed, but the linkage 1512 is unlocked. The sensor 1527 confirms the head of the hook 1504 is fully down. The sensor 1528 confirms the linkage 1512 is in its over-center condition for lifting. Power to electrical components of the release 1500 may be delivered, for example, from the lift tower 107 down the lift cable 108, or via guide cables 111 and/or 112 from the flight support tower complex 101.

Referring next to FIGS. 12-22, the support structure 105 comprises a bridge 1600 extending between the two support towers 103, 104 near the top. The bridge 1600 has a base structure 1601 and an upper structure 1602. Mounted below the base 1601 is a track 1603 with two rails extending in the Y direction of the flight path 201, perpendicular to the length of the bridge 1600. The sled 1604 has rollers or wheels 1605 rollably mounted on the track 1603. There are eight wheels 1605 in the depicted embodiment, four on each side of the sled 1604, though other arrangements are also possible. The sled 1604 is shown in isolation in FIG. 16. The sled 1604, track 1603 and various damping mechanisms comprise part of a swing damper system 2300, which functions to arrest the swinging motion of the gondola 300 and bring it to a controlled stop.

The pendulum motion of the swinging gondola 300, in particular the Y-component of the tension in the flight cables 113, 114, moves the swing damper sled 1604 back and forth along the track 1603. The sled 1604 slides to whichever side of the track 1603 that the flight cables 113, 114 are angled pointing toward. The gondola 300 pulling the sled 1604 back and forth along the track 1603 sucks energy from the pendulum motion of the gondola 300, thus providing a passive braking force. The sled 1604 moving along the track 1603 from one end to the middle to the other end is shown in FIGS. 20, 21 and 22, respectively. Additional braking force is provided by six motors 1608 mounted to the bridge structure 1600 which interface with the sled 1604 via a rack-and-pinion system 1610. The top of sled 1604 has a rack 1606 which interacts with pinions 1607 of the motors 1608, forming the rack-and-pinion system 1610. The motors 1608 provide constant active resistance throughout the ride cycle using dynamic brake resistors to absorb dump energy as discussed in more detail below. The motors 1608 are preferably controlled to maintain a desired velocity of the sled 1604 as needed. As the sled 1604 is moved back and forth along the track 1603 by the pendulum motion, the motors 1608 continuously provide resistance to further slow the sled 1604 and remove energy/motion from the gondola 300. The depicted embodiment has six pinion motors 1608 though a different number may be used according to specifications and requirements. A sled position encoder 1622 is mounted to the brake drum of one of the motors 1607. The encoder 1622 tracks the position and velocity of the sled 1604 along the track 1603, for example, based on the response of a variable frequency drive and/or motor 1607 as a result of the sled 1604 moving back and forth with the rack-and-pinion system 1610.

At each end of the track 1603, hydraulic rate controllers 1609 and physical end stops 1611 are provided, three at each end in the depicted embodiment. The sled track rails 1603, rate controllers 1609, and end stops 1611 are mounted on a support beam structure 1613 of the bridge 1600. The rate controllers 1609 provide additional resistance to the sled 1604 at each end of the swing, causing further energy loss at each end of the track 1603. When the gondola 300 swings in the negative Y direction (see FIG. 1), the resultant Y-directed component of the cable tension loads pulls the sled 1604 along the track 1603 against the reacting rack-and-pinion system 1610 connected to brake resistors, and the sled 1604 hits the hydraulic dampers 1609 at the Y-negative end of the track 703. When the gondola 300 swings back to the positive Y direction, the sled 1604 again slides in the direction of the cable tension while reacting against rack-and-pinion system 1610 and dampers 1609 at the other side, removing more energy from the system. The hydraulic rate controller dampers 1609 and the end stops 1611 are positioned to act against the three beams 1612 of the sled frame (see FIG. 16). Therefore, the dampers 1609 and end stops 1611 are aligned or substantially aligned in the vertical direction. The end stops 1611 may be arranged above the dampers 1609 (FIGS. 12 and 13), below the dampers 1609 (FIG. 14), or a combination thereof. The end stops 1611 may be rubber end stops for example.

Accordingly, the damping system includes at least three separate means to arrest the motion of the sled 1604: a majority of the braking force is provided by the pinion motors 1608 mounted to the bridge structure 1600 which interface with the sled 1604 via the rack-and-pinion system 1610, with the motors 1608 providing constant resistance throughout the ride cycle using dynamic brake resistors, and also active damping for the final position adjustment, as described below; hydraulic dampers 1609 at each end of the track 1603 provide secondary damping as the sled 1604 reaches its limits of travel; and compliant end stops 1610 at the limits of travel provide a tertiary damping cushion.

After the gondola 300 has been lifted and released, the ride enters a passive damping phase. During this phase, the gondola 300 is free to swing back and forth, which in turn causes the sled 1604 to travel back and forth due to the tension in the flight cables 113, 114. The various damping mechanisms slow the sled as it moves, bleeding energy out of the system and reducing the swing arc with each pass. Near the end of the ride cycle, the ride enters an active damping phase. The control system of the amusement ride 100 determines to transition to this phase after the angle of the pendulum is measured to not exceed a predetermined threshold angle. This angle is preferably calculated to maximize the controllability of the system. For example, this angle may correspond to the amplitude of the pendulum swing being smaller than the length of the sled track 1603. In the active damping phase, the position of the sled 1604 is actively controlled via the motors 1608 of the rack-and-pinion system 1610 to counter the remaining motion of the gondola 300, slowing it down enough to allow a parking system to deploy as discussed below.

FIG. 23 shows a block diagram of the swing damper system 2300. The system 2300 comprises programmable logic controller (PLC) 2302, variable frequency drive (VFD) 2304 with external dynamic braking resistor (DBR) 2306, and damper system components 2308. The PLC 2302 is programmed with logic to monitor and control the state of the swing damper system 2300. The PLC 2302 processes inputs from the system components 2308. The VFD 2304 receives logic commands or instructions from the PLC 2302 and executes the instructions by varying motor input frequency and voltage to control the speed and torque of the motors 1608. During the passive damping phase, the rack 1606 of the moving sled 1604 winds the pinion motors 1608 which act as generators transforming the mechanical energy into electrical energy. The energy produced by the motors 1608 is transferred back to the VFD 2304 which reroutes the energy to the external DBR 2306. The DBR 2306 dissipates the energy as heat. The DBR 2306 preferably provides thermal feedback to the PLC 2302 to prevent overheating. The system components 2308 comprise the motors 1608 including the internal passive motor brakes thereof, the cable angle encoder 1620, and the sled position encoder 1622. The system components 2308 may further comprise a proximity sensor 1626 for the sled zero position and/or proximity sensors 1628 for the sled outer limit positions. It should be appreciated that, in addition to the operational control system architecture discussed above in reference to the block diagram of FIG. 23, the swing damper system 2300 also comprises the structural components and mechanisms described above in reference to FIGS. 12-22. According to one embodiment, the rack-and-pinion motor system exists in one of four states:

Motor State:	0	1	2	3
Occurs:	during loading	after ride is	after the gondola	when the ride is
	or when an	initiated and	release when the	in motion and the
	emergency	before the	pendulum angle is	pendulum angle is
	stop is	gondola release	above defined	below defined
	triggered		threshold (passive	threshold (active
			damping phase)	damping phase)
Internal Motor	engaged	disengaged	disengaged	disengaged
Brake Status:
Motor Status:	de-energized	velocity-	velocity-	motors accelerate/
		dependent	dependent motor	decelerate sled to
		motor braking	braking; motors	remove energy
			resist sled motion	from gondola and
				return swing
				damper system to
				zero position

The internal motor brakes are used to hold the swing damper mechanism once the motors 1608 are stopped in Motor State 0, for example, when the ride 100 is at rest for loading and unloading passengers. The internal motor brakes may be activated in the event of an emergency stop of the ride 100. The motors 1608 are energized during Motor State 1. Once the gondola 300 is dropped from the launch position 109, the ride 100 enters the passive damping phase (Motor State 2). When the motion of the gondola 300 falls below a defined threshold, such as the amplitude of the pendulum swing being smaller than the length of the sled track 1603, the ride 100 switches into the active damping phase (Motor State 3) where the motors 1608 are actively driven to rapidly bleed energy out of the pendulum system. The active damping phase at the end of the ride sequence preferably removes enough energy in one swing to reduce the pendulum swing to steady state. Preferably, the damping system mechanisms damp out the pendulum motion within about 14-16 swings, though a different number may be chosen based on the desired ride experience and duration.

The criteria for exiting the active damping phase and engaging the gondola parking system 2700 depend on the steady state error of the system due to wind and passenger loading offsets. Once the amplitude of the swing is sensed or observed to be swinging in an arc that is smaller than an acceptable threshold, the gondola 300 is lowered via the flight offset system 700 until it is captured by a parking system 2700 and touches the ground with legs 311. At this point, the rider restraints 302 may be opened to release the riders.

Referring now to FIGS. 24-27, an example gondola parking system 2700 is provided to safely and quickly bring the gondola 300 to a complete stop. In the depicted embodiment, the parking system 2700 comprises four pivoting arms 2701, 2702, 2703, 2704 to engage and center the gondola 300 mounted on a base or other surface 2710. Here, two arms are oriented along the Y axis and two arms are oriented along the X axis. In other embodiments, more or less arms may be used depending on the size of the gondola 300 and the safety parameters required by a given installation location. In the depicted embodiment, each pivoting arm 2701, 2702, 2703, 2704 has a corresponding actuator 2705, 2706, 2707, 2708, such as hydraulic cylinder or electric linear actuators for example. In some use cases, more than one arm may be powered by an actuator shared between them. The actuators actuate the pivoting arms to move from a flatter resting position upward into a vertically raised position, and then release to allow the arms to return to the lowered position. The lowered position may be adjacent the base 2710 such as, for example, where the arms 2701, 2702, 2703, 2704 lie against the surface of the base 2710. In other embodiments, the lowered position is recessed into the base surface 2710 such that the arms 2701, 2702, 2703, 2704 do not project, or only partially project, out from the base surface 2710 in the lowered position. As the gondola 300 reaches the vertical offset descension point, the flight offset system's encoder(s) 1220 indicates that the gondola 300 has been slowed down to a desired threshold, such as an approximately 0.1 radian pendulum according to a preferred embodiment. In which case, the parking system controls opens three pneumatic valves-one for each “primary” arm 2701, 2702 located along the flight path 201, and one to share between the “secondary” arms 2703, 2704. In the depicted embodiment, the arms 2701, 2702 are considered primary arms since they are oriented in the flight path 201 along the Y axis, and the arms 2703, 2704 are considered secondary arms since they are oriented perpendicular to the flight path 201 along the X axis. The primary arms 2701, 2702 catch and constrain the gondola 300 in the flight path direction while the secondary arms 2703, 2704 constrain the gondola 300 perpendicular to the flight path 201. Depending on the position of the gondola 300, the parking system controls may determine which primary arm 2701, 2702 to raise first to stop the gondola 300. The primary arm 2701 and/or 2702 is raised within the parking ring 306 of the chassis 301 of the gondola 300, contacting the inner surface of the ring 306 and taking the momentum out of the gondola 300. The opposing primary arm is also raised (see FIG. 24). Both arms 2701, 2702 extend outward to put pressure on the parking ring 306 inside the gondola chassis 301 (see FIG. 25). Then, the two secondary arms 2703, 2704 are raised together to constrain the gondola 300 perpendicular to the flight path (see FIG. 26). In the final position, the arms 2701, 2702, 2703, 2704 have centered the gondola 300 and the gondola legs 311 are resting on the ground (see FIG. 27). When it is time to start a new ride cycle, after the release mechanism 1500 has been successfully connected to the gondola 300, the parking arms 2701, 2702, 2703, 2704 will lower to allow for the operation of the flight offset system 700 to raise the gondola 300 into the flight position. A ground-based sensor 2712, such as an optical sensor for example, may be used to confirm the gondola 300 is in the correct overhead position for engaging the parking system 2700. Preferably, the parking system 2700 is not deployed until both the sensor 2712 and the sled zero position proximity sensor 1626 have confirmed the gondola 300 is positioned to engage the parking system 2700.

The control system sequence of the amusement ride 100 preferably monitors and controls various aspects of operation, for example:

• • 1. Process anemometer measurement input to confirm that wind speeds are acceptable prior to and during operation; terminate ride sequence if wind measurements exceed a threshold level (e.g., 50 knots).
  • 2. Check that all of the following are simultaneously true:
    • a. Motor State 0 is initiated.
    • b. The parking system 2700 is raised via proxy sensors.
    • c. The flight offset system 700 is in the lowered position via proxy sensors.
    • d. The movement of flight offset locking block actuators 708 is possible via proxy sensors.
    • e. The over-center release linkage 1512 is unlocked and the hook 1504 is open.
      • If only one is true, trigger a system error.
      • If both are untrue, retract the linkage actuator 1510 to reset the release mechanism 1500.
    • f. The swing damper sled 1604 is centered via the position encoder 1622 on the swing damper track 1603.
      • If uncentered, initialize Motor State 3 and jog swing damper sled 1604 via the motor bank 1608 to center, and then re-initialize Motor State 0.
  • 3. Load passengers in rider seats 302 of the gondola 300.
  • 4. Operator to initiate ride sequence after verifying all passengers are locked in and the ride path 201 is completely clear.
  • 5. Lower the lift cable 108 slowly to automatically engage the release mechanism 1500 with the gondola 300.
  • 6. Actuate the release linkage actuator 1510 to lock around the gondola lifting pin 312.
  • 7. Verify the release linkage actuator 1510 is locked via sensor 1528 and the hook 1504 is closed around the gondola lifting pin 312 via sensor 1527.
  • 8. Activate the lift winch 120 at low velocity until the lift cable 108 is under tension, but do not begin lifting.
  • 9. Lower the parking system 2700.
  • 10. Verify the parking system 2700 is lowered.
  • 11. Retract the flight offset locking blocks 706.
  • 12. Verify the flight offset locking blocks 706 are retracted.
  • 13. Raise flight offset system 700 to maximum height.
  • 14. Extend the flight offset locking blocks 706.
  • 15. Verify extended position of the flight offset locking blocks 706.
  • 16. Lower flight offset system 700 slightly to rest on the flight offset locking blocks 706.
  • 17. Verify flight offset linkage 701 at raised resting angle.
  • 18. Initiate Motor State 1.
  • 19. Activate lifting sequence with the lift winch 120 at low velocity to maintain tension during lifting process.
  • 20. Monitor lift elevation and automatically stop at designated launch position 109.
  • 21. Wait for operator input after visually verifying the flight path 201 is clear.
  • 22. Transition the rack-and-pinion motors 1608 to Motor State 2 (passive damping state).
  • 23. Retract the linkage actuator 1510 to unleash the gondola 300.
  • 24. After a specified delay, verify the release linkage actuator 1510 is unlocked and the hook 1504 is opened.
    • a. If untrue, the gondola 300 is stuck, in which case initiate emergency stop and Motor State 0.
  • 25. While the gondola 300 is swinging, monitor the position of the swing damper sled 1604 and the angle of the gondola flight cables 113, 114 off equilibrium to check:
    • a. Data falls within the defined safety thresholds (sled velocity, sled position, pendulum angle, or pendulum velocity).
      • If a certain safety threshold is hit, or a manual emergency stop button is pressed, initiate emergency stop and Motor State 0.
    • b. Data falls within a defined pendulum angle threshold.
      • If the pendulum angle threshold is not met after a designated amount of time or number of swings via encoder data, or if the sensor data is invalid, initiate emergency stop and Motor State 0.
  • 26. When the pendulum angle or amplitude threshold is met, initiate Motor State 3 (active damping state).
  • 27. When the swing damper sled 1604 is centered, and the pendulum angle and velocity are within designated thresholds, or when the operator presses a button, initiate Motor State 0.
    • a. Operator manually centers swing damper sled 1604 as required.
  • 28. Verify swing damper sled 1604 centered position and alert operator that the flight offset system 700 is ready to lower.
  • 29. Wait for operator manual input confirming the flight offset system 700 is safe to lower.
  • 30. If there is a sensor failure, a manual or maintenance mode setting is used to allow the gondola 300 to be lowered under power.
  • 31. Raise the flight offset system 700 slightly to allow the locking actuators 708 to retract.
  • 32. Retract the locking actuators 708 and lower the flight offset system 700 to a designated height above the parking system 2700.
  • 33. Use the flight offset encoder 1620 to determine if the gondola 300 is offset to one side and, based on the angle sensed by the flight offset system 700, choose the first parking system primary arm 2701 or 2702 to raise.
  • 34. Verify the first parking system primary arm has been raised.
  • 35. Verify via the flight offset encoder 1620 that the gondola momentum has arrested.
  • 36. Raise the second parking system primary arm 2701 or 2702.
  • 37. Verify the second parking system primary arm has been raised.
  • 38. Raise the parking system secondary arms 2703, 2704.
  • 39. Verify the parking system secondary arms have been raised.
  • 40. Lower the flight offset system 700 fully to its lowest position.
  • 41. Unload passengers.
  • 42. As passengers are unloading, lower the lift cable 107 down to a designated position so the release mechanism 1500 is ready to re-engage the gondola 300 for a subsequent ride sequence, but remains out of the way of guests or operators.

While several aspects and embodiments have been discussed herein, those persons skilled in the art will recognize numerous possible modifications, permutations, additions, combinations and sub-combinations therefor, without these needing to be specifically explained or shown within the context of this disclosure. The claims should therefore be interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations, which are within their true spirit and scope. Each embodiment described herein has numerous equivalents.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown or described, or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. Thus, it should be understood that although the invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the claims. Whenever a range is given in the specification, all intermediate ranges and subranges, as well as all individual values included in the ranges given are hereby incorporated into this disclosure. When a Markush group or other grouping is used herein, all individual members of the group and all combinations and sub-combinations possible of the group are hereby individually included in this disclosure. In general, the terms and phrases used herein have their art-recognized meaning, which can be found by reference to standard texts, references and contexts known to those skilled in the art. Any above definitions are provided to clarify their specific use in the context of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100        amusement ride
101        flight support tower complex
103, 104   support towers
105        support structure
107        lift tower
108        lift cable
109        launch position
111, 112   guide cables
113, 114   flight cables
120        lift cable winch
121, 122   lift cable sheaves
201        flight path
300        rider gondola
301        gondola chassis
302        rider seats
303, 304   flight cable pivot points
305        central hub
306        chassis parking ring
307        bearing assembly
308        inner slewing ring
309        outer slewing ring
310        gondola lifting arm
311        gondola legs
312        lifting pin/connecting point
700        flight offset system
701        frame
702        first frame axle/axis
703        second frame axle/axis
704        flight cable mount
705        frame actuator
706        locking block
708        locking block actuator
710        lock stop/rest
712        lower axle of cable mount
714        lower plate of cable mount
1500       release mechanism
1502       body
1504       hook
1506       pivot axis
1508       slot for gondola lifting pin
1510       linkage actuator
1512       over-center linkage
1513, 1514 links
1515, 1516 arm connection points
1517       over-center connection pin
1518       slot for connection pin
1519       piston rod
1520       guide cable attachment point
1521       attachment point for lift cable
1523       stopping surface
1524       stopping surface
1525       stopping surface
1526       camera
1527       hook position sensor
1528       linkage position sensor
1600       support structure bridge
1601       base structure of bridge
1602       upper structure of bridge
1603       sled track/rails
1604       sled
1605       sled wheels
1606       rack
1607       motor pinions
1608       motors
1609       rate controllers/dampers
1610       rack-and-pinion system
1611       end stops
1612       three beams of sled frame
1613       support beam structure
1620       cable angle/velocity encoder
1622       sled position/velocity encoder
1624       on-sled control systems
1626       sled zero position proximity sensor
1628       sled overtravel position sensor
2300       swing damper system
2302       programmable logic controller
2304       variable frequency drive
2305       dynamic braking resistor
2306       system components
2700       gondola parking system
2701       primary pivoting arm
2702       primary pivoting arm
2703       secondary pivoting arm
2704       secondary pivoting arm
2705       arm actuator
2706       arm actuator
2707       arm actuator
2708       arm actuator
2709       base
2710       gondola position ground sensor

Claims

1. An amusement ride, with a first horizontal axis (X axis), a second horizontal axis (Y axis) perpendicular to the X axis, and a vertical axis (Z axis), comprising:

a flight support tower complex comprising at least two support towers and a support structure mounted thereon at height, with the support towers spaced apart from one another along the X axis,

a rider gondola suspended from the support structure via at least one first flight cable and at least one second flight cable, the first and second flight cables extend from the support structure to form a V shape in attaching to the gondola, wherein the gondola comprises a chassis with a plurality of rider seats mounted thereon, and a lifting arm attached to a central hub of the gondola,

a lift tower spaced apart from the flight support tower complex at a distance along the Y axis, with a lift cable retractably supported on the lift tower at height, wherein one end of the lift cable is attached to a winch and another end of the lift cable is attached to a release mechanism,

the release mechanism configurable between an open position and a closed position for releasably attaching the lifting arm of the gondola such that, when the release mechanism is attached to the gondola and the winch retracts the lift cable, the gondola is raised upward from the flight support tower complex toward the lift tower into a launch position, and, when the release mechanism releases the gondola at the launch position, the gondola swings from the support structure on the flight cables in a flight path between the support towers along the Y axis,

wherein the support structure comprises:

a bridge structure extending between the support towers, the bridge having a track with two parallel rails aligned with the flight path of the gondola along the Y axis,

a sled movably mounted on the track via wheels, with ends of the sled extending beyond the track on either side along the X axis, and

a rack-and-pinion system acting between the bridge structure and the sled as part of a swing damper system, which is provided to arrest a swinging motion of the gondola and bring the gondola to a controlled stop,

wherein the swinging motion of the gondola pulls the sled back and forth along the track due to tension in the flight cables, such that the sled provides a passive braking force against the swinging motion of the gondola, and the rack-and-pinion system comprises a plurality of motors with motor pinions mounted to a rack which resist movement of the sled along the track.

2. The amusement ride of claim 1, further comprising at least two first flight cables and at least two second flight cables, such that the rider gondola is suspended from the support structure by at least four flight cables, which extend from the support structure to form the V shape attaching to the gondola.

3. The amusement ride of claim 1, wherein the chassis is rotatably mounted about the central hub via a bearing assembly.

4. The amusement ride of claim 3, wherein the bearing assembly comprises an inner slewing ring fixed to the central hub and an outer slewing ring fixed to the chassis.

5. The amusement ride of claim 1, further comprising two guide cables which extend from the flight tower complex to form a V shape in attaching to the release mechanism such that, when the lift cable is extended to lower the release mechanism from the launch position to connect to the gondola for a next ride sequence, the guide cables guide the release mechanism along the Y axis toward the gondola.

6. The amusement ride of claim 1, further comprising at least one flight offset system configurable between a rider loading position and a flight position.

7. The amusement ride of claim 6, wherein the flight offset system is a height adjustable platform base in a loading area of the gondola, with the platform base being raised in the rider loading position and lowered in the flight position.

8-14. (canceled)

15. The amusement ride of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism comprises a body and a hook rotatably mounted to the body about a pivot axis, with a lifting slot provided between the body and the hook when the release mechanism is in the closed position, the lifting slot holding a lifting pin of the lifting arm when the gondola is lifted by the lift cable, wherein the release mechanism further comprises a linkage actuator and an over-center linkage having two links pivotably connected to each another at one end via a connection pin, with an opposite end of the link pivotably connected to the body at a body connection point, and an opposite end of the link pivotably connected to the hook at a hook connection point, and wherein, to switch from the closed position to the open position of the release mechanism, the actuator moves the over-center linkage out of an over-center locked state such that, when the linkage passes a 180° parallel line of the links, the linkage springs into an unlocked state and the hook flies open.

16. The amusement ride of claim 15, wherein the connection pin of the over-center linkage is positioned within a slot formed in a piston rod of the actuator.

17. The amusement ride of claim 15, wherein a range of motion of the hook is delimited in the closed position by a stop surface, which abuts a closure of the hook, and in the open position by a stop surface, which abuts a top of the hook.

18. The amusement ride of claim 15, wherein the release mechanism comprises a sensor to detect whether the hook is open or closed, and a sensor to detect whether the over-center linkage is locked or unlocked.

19. The amusement ride of claim 1, wherein the chassis of the gondola forms a parking ring, with the rider seats being mounted circumferentially on an exterior of the parking ring, the amusement ride further comprising:

a gondola parking system including a base and a plurality of arms pivotably mounted with first ends thereof to the base,

wherein each arm is configurable between a lowered position in or adjacent the base and a raised position with free ends of the arms pointing away from the base,

wherein each arm is oriented to fold inwards toward a center of the base when moving from the raised position into the lowered position, with the first ends of the arms pointing radially away from the center of the base,

wherein the plurality of arms comprise two primary arms and two secondary arms, with the primary arms aligned parallel to the flight path of the gondola and raising in a direction of the Y axis, and the second arms aligned perpendicular to the flight path of the gondola and raising in a direction of the X axis,

wherein, when one or more position or motion parameters of the gondola are within threshold values, the arms are raised from the lowered position to the raised position within the parking ring of the chassis such that the gondola parking system captures and holds the gondola in place.

20. The amusement ride of claim 19, wherein the gondola parking system further comprises actuators configured to raise and lower the arms.

21. The amusement ride of claim 1, wherein the rack is fixed to the sled and the motors are mounted on the bridge structure.

22. The amusement ride of claim 1, wherein the swing damper system further comprises one or more hydraulic dampers mounted to the bridge structure at either end of the track along the Y axis such that, when the sled is pulled to the ends of the track by the swing motion of the gondola, the sled dumps kinetic energy into the hydraulic dampers.

23. The amusement ride of claim 22, wherein the swing damper system further comprises rubber end stops mounted to the bridge structure adjacent the hydraulic dampers.

24. The amusement ride of claim 1, wherein the swing damper system further comprises a programmable logic controller and a variable frequency drive with one or more external dynamic braking resistors.

25. The amusement ride of claim 24, wherein the motors of the rack-and-pinion system convert mechanical energy from the sled into electrical energy, and the electrical energy produced by the motors is transferred via the variable frequency drive to the one or more dynamic braking resistors, where the electrical energy is dissipated as heat.

26. The amusement ride of claim 24, wherein the programmable logic controller comprises a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for a ride sequence that, when executed by the processor, cause the swing damper system to:

initiate a passive damper phase after the gondola is released from the release mechanism at the launch position, wherein the gondola swings back and forth along the flight path, thereby pulling the sled back and forth along the track, and the rack-and-pinion system resists the movement of the sled, bleeding energy from the gondola, and

initiate an active damper phase when a flight cable angle encoder detects that an angle of the flight cables is below or does not exceed a threshold angle, wherein a position of the sled on the track is actively controlled by the motors to counter the swing motion of the gondola.

27. The amusement ride of claim 26, wherein the threshold angle corresponds to an amplitude of the pendulum swing of the gondola being smaller than a length of the track.

28. The amusement ride of claim 26, wherein the active damping phase removes enough energy in one swing of the gondola to reduce the pendulum swing to steady state.

29. The amusement ride of claim 26, wherein the swing damper system damps out the motion of the gondola in 14-16 swings.