ROLLER COASTER VEHICLE GUIDANCE SYSTEM INCLUDING A SIDE GUIDE ASSEMBLY WITH WHEEL SUSPENSION

Number: 20180318722
Published: 2018-11-08
Filed: 2017-05-03
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: SMITH; JOHN D.; SWIFT; BROOKE M.; HIGHT; FELICIA D.; KANZ; BRECKEN L.; DEFILIPPO; ANTHONY R.; MEDINA; MARC A.; FIGUEROA; ALEJANDRO A.
CPC: A63G7/00
Verdict: Low Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Roller coaster guidance hardware.

Abstract

A system for providing guidance of a ride vehicle on a track of a park ride, e.g., a vehicle or car of a roller coaster, that is adapted to provide side guide wheel suspension with a design that requires significantly less maintenance than the traditional pin and bushing configuration. The system includes a side guide assembly includes two spring members, which may each take the form of a leaf spring, that are directly mounted to the main support of the bogie assembly (e.g., the load wheel assembly, the up stop assembly, and the support frame of the bogie assembly). The spring members are adapted to provide anchor points for the side guide wheel shafts that each side guide wheel is mounted onto for rotation. When the spring members are leaf springs, the eyes of each leaf spring may form the anchor points or shaft supports for the wheel rotation shafts.

Background

BACKGROUND1. Field of the Description

The present description relates, in general, to track-based amusement and theme park rides including roller coasters and to suspensions for ride vehicles. More particularly, the description relates to a system for providing guidance of a ride vehicle (e.g., a roller coaster vehicle or car) along a track, and the vehicle's guidance system includes a side guide assembly configured to provide suspension for the side guide wheels.2. Relevant Background

The roller coaster is one of the more common and popular amusement and theme park rides for providing a thrilling ride experience. In a typical roller coaster, the cars or vehicles are not self powered, but, instead, a train of vehicles supported upon a track is pulled up a ramp or lift hill with a chain or cable to a peak of the coaster track. The potential energy accumulated by the rise in height is transferred to kinetic energy as the vehicles are released or dropped and race down the downward slope. Kinetic energy is then converted back to potential energy as the vehicle train moves up again to a second peak after which it then falls at rapid speed. This cycle is repeated throughout the ride until the vehicle train returns to the loading/unloading station.

The roller coaster vehicle is typically guided on the track using two or more guidance mechanisms or assembles that each have three sets or pairs of wheels. Particularly, a traditional guidance mechanism includes load wh

Claims

1. An apparatus for guiding a roller coaster along a track with suspension, comprising: a load wheel assembly for rollably engaging an upper surface of the track; an up stop assembly for contacting a lower surface of the track opposite the upper surface; a main support frame coupling the load assembly to the up stop assembly; and a side guide assembly rigidly attached to the main support frame, wherein the side guide assembly includes: a pair of side guide wheels for rollably engaging a side surface of the track, a rotation shaft extending through a center of each of the wheels, and an elongated spring element extending from a first end to a second end, wherein the first and second ends each includes an eye receiving and supporting one of the rotation shafts. 10. A guidance system for guiding a vehicle on a track, comprising: a support frame; a bogie assembly coupled to the support frame and adapted for carrying a vehicle load on the track; and a side guide assembly, coupled to the support frame, including: first and second side guide wheels, first and second rotation shafts rotatably supporting the first and second side guide wheels, respectively, a first leaf spring, and a second leaf spring spaced apart from the first leaf spring, wherein the first and second leaf springs each includes an eye at each end and wherein the first and second rotation shafts each extends through a pair of the eyes in the first and second leaf springs. 16. A roller coaster comprising a vehicle coupled to the track by a plurality of the guidance systems of claim 10. 17. A system for guiding a roller coaster vehicle on a track, comprising: a support frame; a load wheel assembly for rollably engaging an upper surface of the track; an up stop assembly for contacting a lower surface of the track opposite the upper surface, wherein the up stop assembly is coupled with the load wheel assembly by the support frame; and a side guide assembly, coupled to the support frame, including: first and second side guide wheels, first and second rotation shafts extending through and supporting the first and second side guide wheels, respectively, a first leaf spring comprising a plurality of leafs and with first and second ends each including a tie hole, and a second leaf spring comprising a plurality of leafs and with first and second ends each including a tie hole, wherein the first rotation shaft extends through the tie holes in the first ends of the first and second leaf springs and the second rotation shaft extends through the tie holes in the second ends of the first and second leaf springs, whereby the first and second rotation axes are supported for rotation in the side guide assembly by the first and second leaf springs.