- Number
- 9610511
- Published
- 2017-04-04
- Filed
- 2015-12-16
- Assignee
- Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Inventors
- Francis; Dexter William et al.
- CPC
- A63G23/00; B60K17/30; A63G31/02; A63G31/16; A63G25/00
- Verdict
- Low Hardware
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
The keeper's note
Amusement-park ride vehicle chassis engineered for heave and sway motion — ride hardware.
Abstract
A free-ranging ride vehicle for an amusement park ride. The vehicle includes a vehicle base supporting a passenger compartment. The vehicle includes a drive system with a support platform supporting the vehicle base. The drive system imparts a set of motions including translation, cornering, sway, and heave to the support platform and, in turn, to the vehicle base and passenger compartment. The drive system includes first, second, and third leg assemblies each with a rigid leg pivotally coupled at an inner end to the support platform and supporting a wheel at an outer end. Drive motors are mounted on the legs above the wheels to, independently and concurrently, rotate the wheels and change the directional offset angle of each wheel.
Background
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS(1) FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram or schematic illustration of a portion of an amusement park ride showing an exemplary ride vehicle of the present description;(2) FIG. 2 illustrates a partial top perspective view of a ride vehicle of the present description with the upper vehicle base showing transparent to reveal lower components of the drive system and with only a partial display of motion actuator components for ease of illustration;(3) FIG. 3 illustrates atop perspective view of one embodiment of a support platform or chassis for use in the ride vehicles of the present description and is used for pivotally coupling with the leg assemblies and for supporting the motion actuator;(4) FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of a portion of a leg (or wheel) assembly of a drive system of a ride vehicle of the present description showing drive components in greater detail;(5) FIG. 5 is a top view of another embodiment of a drive system for a ride vehicle of the present description;(6) FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate top perspective and side views, respectively, of the drive system of FIG. 5; and(7) FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate top perspective and side views, respectively, of the drivesystem of FIGS. 5-7 after its operation to articulate or tilt the chassis to a second position or orientation (e.g., to impart a sway motion to the chassis and, in a ride vehicle,a passenger compartment that would be supported by the chassis); note, FIG. 9 does not show a
Claims
1. A ride vehicle for an amusement park ride using free-ranging vehicles, comprising: a passenger compartment for receiving one or more passengers; a vehicle base supporting the passenger compartment; and a drive system with a support platform supporting the vehicle base, wherein the drive system is operable to selectively impart a set of motions to the vehicle base by imparting motions to the support platform, wherein the set of motions includes translational and cornering motions, wherein the drive system comprises first, second, and third leg assemblies each comprising a rigid, elongated leg pivotally coupled at an inner end to the support platform and supporting a wheel at an outer end, wherein the wheel is adapted for rotation about a vertical axis, and wherein the drive system further includes in each of the leg assemblies a drive motor for rotating the wheel about a vertical axis to define the translational and cornering motions. 9.A ride vehicle, comprising: a vehicle base supporting the passenger compartment; and a drive system with a support platform supporting the vehicle base, wherein the drive system is operable to selectively impart a set of motions to the support platform, wherein the second set of motions include translational motion in a plurality of directions and at least one of sway and heave, wherein the drive system comprises first, second, and third leg assemblies each comprising a rigid leg pivotally coupled at an inner end to the support platform and supporting a wheel at an outer end, wherein the wheel is adapted for rotation about a vertical axis, and wherein the drive system further includes in each of the leg assemblies a drive motor for rotating the wheel about a vertical axis to define the translational and cornering motions.
14. A ride vehicle for an amusement park ride using free-ranging vehicles, comprising: a passenger compartment for receiving one or more passengers; a vehicle base supporting the passenger compartment; and a drive system with a support platform supporting the vehicle base, wherein the drive system is operable to selectively impart a set of motions to the vehicle base via the support platform, wherein the set of motions includes translational, sway, and heave motions, wherein the drive system comprises first, second, and third leg assemblies each comprising a rigid, elongated leg pivotally coupled at an inner end to the support platform and supporting a wheel at an outer end, wherein thewheel is adapted for rotation about a vertical axis, wherein the drive system further includes in each of the leg assemblies a drive motor for rotating the wheel about a vertical axis to define the translational and cornering motions, and wherein the drive system further includes in each of the leg assemblies a drive motor for rotating the wheel about a central axis of the wheel to define a speed of the translational motion.
17. A ride vehicle for an amusement park ride using free-ranging vehicles, comprising: a passenger compartmentfor receiving one or more passengers; a vehicle base supporting the passenger compartment; and a drive system with a support platform supporting the vehicle base, wherein the drive system is operable to selectively impart a set of motions to the vehicle base by imparting motions to the support platform, wherein the set of motions includes translational and cornering motions, wherein the drive system comprises first, second, and third leg assemblies each comprising a rigid, elongated leg pivotally coupled at an inner end to the support platform and supporting a wheel at an outer end, and wherein each of the legs extends outward from a center axis of the support platform and is offset from adjacent ones of the legs by 120 degrees.