Carriage system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10207137-B2
Application number	US-201514920100-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2015
Priority date	Oct 23, 2014
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a safety system for coupling a rider to an amusement attraction with a track assembly including a junction box, and a plurality of control surfaces. The plurality of control surfaces includes slideable and rollable control surfaces. The safety system includes a carriage system for coupling the rider to the track assembly including a main support assembly, and a rolling safety mechanism including a rotatable element. The rotatable element includes a track engagement surface including rolling and sliding surfaces. In some embodiments, the rolling safety mechanism includes a plurality of pucks. Some embodiments include a rolling safety mechanism with a partially truncated ellipsoidal member rotatably mounted to a control support. In other embodiments, the rolling safety mechanism includes two partially truncated ellipsoidal members each positioned at substantially opposite ends of a support frame that includes at least one lanyard support.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A safety system for coupling a rider to an amusement attraction comprising:
a track assembly including at least one junction box and a plurality of control surfaces, the plurality of control surfaces including a slideable control surface configured to permit slideable movement along the slideable control surface and a rollable control surface configured to permit rollable movement along the rollable control surface;
a carriage system for coupling the rider to the track assembly comprising:
a harness section configured to couple to a user,
a safety mechanism configured to couple the harness section to the track assembly, the safety mechanism having:
a first track engagement surface configured to slide along the slideable control surface in a first direction when the first track engagement surface is engaged with the slideable control surface, and
a second track engagement surface configured to roll along the rollable control surface in a second direction different from a first direction when the second track engagement surface is engaged with the rollable control surface.

2. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mechanism is configured to roll within the track assembly when the second track engagement surface rotatably couples with the rollable control surface.

3. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mechanism is configured to slide within the track assembly when the first track engagement surface slidably couples to the at least one slideable control surface.

4. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mechanism can move on the track assembly by substantially simultaneously sliding when the first track engagement surface slidably engages the slideable control surface and rolling when the second track engagement surface rotatably engages the rollable control surface.

5. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mechanism includes a plurality of pucks, the plurality of pucks comprising the first track engagement surface and the second track engagement surface.

6. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mechanism comprises at least one partially truncated ellipsoidal member rotatably mounted to a control support.

7. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the track assembly further comprises guide tabs configured to couple with at least a portion of the safety mechanism to prevent vertical rotation of the safety mechanism relative to the track assembly and misalignment in the track assembly.

8. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the track assembly further comprises at least one pipe segment configured to orient and enclose at least a portion of the safety mechanism.

9. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mechanism comprises at least two partially truncated ellipsoidal members each positioned at substantially opposite ends of a support frame, the support frame including at least one lanyard support extending from the support frame.

10. The continuous safety system of claim 9 , wherein the lanyard support is configured to enable a coupled lanyard to guide the safety mechanism by substantially freely moving on the lanyard support.

11. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is angled relative to the second direction.

12. The continuous safety system of claim 11 , wherein the carriage assembly is configured to mate with the track assembly and permit motion of the safety mechanism in the first direction relative to the track assembly when the slideable control surface is engaged with the first track engagement surface and the second track engagement surface is out of contact with the rollable control surface, and is configured to mate with the track assembly and permit motion of the safety mechanism in the second direction relative to the track assembly when the rollable control surface is engaged with the second track engagement surface and the first track engagement surface is out of contact with the slideable control surface.

13. The continuous safety system of claim 12 , wherein the safety mechanism is in a first orientation when configured to move in the first direction and is in a second orientation when configured to move in the second direction, and the first orientation is rotated relative to the second orientation.

14. The continuous safety system of claim 11 , wherein the safety mechanism comprises a rolling element and an aperture element, the slideable control surface includes a shaft for sliding along the aperture element and the rollable control surface includes a planar surface for rolling the rolling element.

15. The continuous safety system of claim 14 , wherein the aperture element extends below the rolling element and an axis of the aperture is parallel to an axis of rotation of the rolling element.

16. The continuous safety system of claim 15 , wherein the track assembly comprises a tab configured to abut the aperture element and maintain a desired position of the rolling element relative to the rollable control surface.

17. The continuous safety system of claim 11 , wherein the safety mechanism comprises a rolling element and a planar element, the slideable control surface includes a first planar surface for sliding on the planar element and a second planar surface for rolling the rolling element.

18. The continuous safety system of claim 17 , wherein the first planar surface is angled relative to the second planar surface.

19. The continuous safety system of claim 1 , wherein the junction box is configured to permit the safety mechanism to change direction relative to the track assembly such that the safety mechanism moves in the first direction before entering the junction box and moves in the second direction angled relative to the first direction after leaving the junction box.

20. The continuous safety system of claim 19 , wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

Assignees

• Whitewater West Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Briggs Rick
• Weston Mark
• Frankowski Hyuma
• Macdougall Greg
• Brassard Daniel
• Petkov Peter

Classifications

• A63B9/00 Primary

  Climbing poles, frames, or stages {(climbing walls for mountaineering training A63B69/0048; endless loop ladders A63B22/04)} · CPC title

• A63G21/20

  Slideways with movably suspended cars, or with cars moving on ropes, or the like · CPC title

• A63B2009/004

  Three-dimensional rope or cable networks · CPC title

• A63B27/00

  Apparatus for climbing poles, trees, or the like ({ropes A63B29/02;} safety belts for climbers A62B35/00) · CPC title

• A63B2071/025

  on rollers or wheels · CPC title