WO1993023126A1 - Speed control apparatus for waterway traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Speed control apparatus for waterway traveling vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1993023126A1
WO1993023126A1 PCT/US1993/004779 US9304779W WO9323126A1 WO 1993023126 A1 WO1993023126 A1 WO 1993023126A1 US 9304779 W US9304779 W US 9304779W WO 9323126 A1 WO9323126 A1 WO 9323126A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
vehicle
wheel
speed control
hub
water
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1993/004779
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Yohei Takai
Original Assignee
The Walt Disney Company
Oriental Land Co. Ltd.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by The Walt Disney Company, Oriental Land Co. Ltd. filed Critical The Walt Disney Company
Priority to US08/295,781 priority Critical patent/US5794533A/en
Publication of WO1993023126A1 publication Critical patent/WO1993023126A1/en

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Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63GMERRY-GO-ROUNDS; SWINGS; ROCKING-HORSES; CHUTES; SWITCHBACKS; SIMILAR DEVICES FOR PUBLIC AMUSEMENT
    • A63G3/00Water roundabouts, e.g. freely floating

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an amusement park attraction in the form of water traveling vehicles traveling along a waterway or a waterway joined to a ground track, and more particularly to a control apparatus for slowing down or stopping such vehicles in the waterway.
  • a ground track such as a railway track, can be installed on the ground adjoining the waterway to render an amphibious amusement ride by allowing the passenger carrying vehicle to travel along these ground tracks and waterways successively, so that passengers enjoy traveling over land and in water in one ride in a single amphibious vehicle.
  • That apparatus includes an endless conveyor which is disposed parallel to the direction of advance of boats and serves to stop a boat when the boat approaches the conveyor with the aid of a water flow and the boat's bottom rides over the conveyor. Also, by forcibly running the conveyor, by a drive unit such as a motor, the boat can be thrust forward by the conveyor, so that the boat can be started moving to depart therefrom.
  • a further potential hazard in such an apparatus arises from the water flow itself. This is because the boat is still subjected to the water flow when it rides over the conveyor and is there stopped or sped down. If the boat is inclined with respect to the direction of the water flow, or supported by the damping apparatus with an attitude directing aslant, the surface area of the boat receiving the water flow is increased, and a large water pressure is applied to the boat. Therefore, the burden upon the damping apparatus, which has to damp the boat motion against such an increased water pressure, is increased remarkably.
  • the width of the waterway being close to the width of the boat raises the fear of a hazardous accident with respect to the passengers; that if a part of the body of any passenger is projecting out of the sides of the boat, it might be pinched between the guide plate and the boat.
  • the present invention has been made in view of the state of the art as mentioned above, and its object is to provide a speed control apparatus for a waterway traveling vehicle which can guide a vehicle traveling along " a waterway with simple structure, and can positively transmit frictional damping forces to the vehicle for speeding down or stopping it.
  • the present invention provides a speed control apparatus for a vehicle used in an amusement ride in which a vehicle is set afloat in a waterway and moved along the waterway by the flow of water within it.
  • a speed damping mechanism is provided in the course of the waterway which is positionable to come into contact with the vehicle and stop or slow said vehicle by a friction hold on the vehicle.
  • a turning frame guided by a guide member to angularly rotate serves as the mounting ' for the speed damping mechanism, and the turning frame is positioned at a predetermined position along said waterway in an angularly movable manner.
  • the turning frame is urged by spring means to be directed in a predetermined direction
  • the damping mechanism is mounted to the turning frame such that when a vehicle approaches the damping mechanism obliquely with respect to a predetermined direction of advance, the turning frame is angularly moved against said spring means to bring the damping mechanism into alignment with the direction of the vehicle.
  • the turning frame is then returned to the predetermined direction through reversed angular movement under an urging action of the spring means. Because the damping mechanism mounted on the turning frame is in contact with the vehicle, the return rotation of the turning frame rotates the vehicle, thus, correcting the direction of said vehicle to the proper, predetermined direction of advance.
  • the turning frame is angularly moved to make the damping mechanism aligned with the direction of the vehicle and then returned to the predetermined direction through reversed angular movement under a restoring action of the spring means for returning the damping mechanism to its original direction, so that the direction of the vehicle is corrected to the proper direction of advance.
  • FIG. 1 is a top plan view of speed control apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A - A in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B - B in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a waterway in the first embodiment
  • FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the waterway showing relative placement of sensors and speed control apparatus of the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a view showing the relationship between the bottom of a boat and rubber tires according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 1 to 6 Details of the present invention will be described in conjunction with a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.
  • FIG. 6 is a top plan view showing the whole of a waterway for a traveling vehicle in the form of a pleasure boat set in amusement parks.
  • a waterway (1) contains water (2) which carries one or a plurality of pleasure boats (5) .
  • a platform (3) allows passengers to board and disembark from a particular boat (5) .
  • a plurality of speed control apparatus (10) are located at predetermined points along the waterway where speed control of the boat (5) is desired.
  • Sensors (7) are positioned in proximately to the speed control apparatus (10) to sense the approach a boat (5) to and thereby activate speed control apparatus (10) .
  • the waterway (1) in this embodiment is an endless waterway constructed using concrete or the like, and the water (2) is recirculated by a pump (not shown) to generate a flow of water in the direction indicated by arrows so that the boats (5) travel by riding on the water flow.
  • the waterway is not limited to the illustrated endless waterway.
  • a railway installed on the ground may be joined to a waterway, and an amphibious vehicle may travel along these railways and waterways successively, allowing the passengers to enjoy traveling over land and through water in a single amusement ride.
  • Each of the pleasure boats (5) may be a single- sitter boat or a larger-sized boat for a plurality of passengers ranging from several to dozens of passengers.
  • a bottom surface (6) on the underside of the boat (5) for use in this embodiment has an upwardly curved shape, i.e., a concave shape peaking at the bottom center of the boat, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom surface (6) being utilized to guide the boat as explained later.
  • the speed control apparatus (10) for the pleasure boat (5) is installed at, for example, two locations; a position midway the boarding platform (3) and a position before, with respect to the travel direction of a boat, the platform (3) by a short predetermined distance.
  • Each speed control apparatus (10) serves to speed down or stop the boat at the predetermined points in the waterway.
  • the speed control apparatus (10) is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to .
  • a base (11) of the speed control apparatus (10) is installed on a bottom surface (la) of the waterway (1) at each of the two aforesaid predetermined locations.
  • the turning frame (13) is mounted over the guide rail (12) in an angularly movable manner.
  • the turning frame (13) is of substantially rectangular structure and has brackets (14) respectively fixed near its four corners.
  • a support pin (15) is attached to each of the brackets (14) and a rotary roller (17) is rotatably attached to the support pin (15) via a bushing (16) .
  • the rotary roller (17) has an annular groove (18) formed in its outer circumference, and the annular groove (18) is engaged with a guide rib (19) projecting from an inner circumference of the guide rail (12) .
  • the rotary rollers (17) provided near the four corners of the turning frame (13) are rotatably engaged with the guide rail (12) so that the turning frame (13) is mounted to be rotatable along the guide rail (12) .
  • Hooks (20) are attached to the left and right sides of the turning frame (13) , respectively, and hooks (21) " are mounted to the base (11) in opposite relation to the hooks (20) .
  • Coil springs (22) are stretched between opposite pairs of the hooks (20) and (21) .
  • the coil springs (22) are provided on the left and right sides of the turning frame (13) to pull it from both sides, so that the turning frame (13) maintains a neutral position with respect to the pull of the springs from the right and the left. In other words, the turning frame (13) is forced to orient in a predetermined direction, coinciding with the direction of the water flow, under urging forces of the coil springs (22) .
  • the turning frame (13) If the turning frame (13) is subjected to such a force as breaking the balance in tensile force between the coil springs (22) , the turning frame (13) , thus, turns clockwise or counterclockwise (this can be seen in FIG. 1) along the guide rail (12) against the resilient forces of the coil springs (22) .
  • the turning frame (13) is restricted in its turning movement at about 45° on each of left and rights sides.
  • the turning frame (13) thus constructed includes an arm support shaft (25) attached to its one end on the upstream side in the direction of the water flow, and a lift arm (26) is mounted at one of its ends to the arm support shaft (25) in an angularly movable or pivotable manner.
  • the lift arm (26) is comprised of a frame structure extending from its mounted end in the direction of the water flow.
  • the downstream end of lift arm (26) is free, and it and has a joint shaft (27) in its intermediate portion.
  • An air cylinder (28) is interposed between the joint shaft (27) and the turning frame (13) , and serves to angularly or pivotably raise and lower the lift arm (26) about the support shaft (25) .
  • a base end of the air cylinder (28) is mounted to the turning frame (13) via a mount shaft (29) ' in an angularly movable manner, while a knuckle (31) provided at a distal end of a piston rod (30) of the air cylinder (28) is mounted to the joint shaft (27) in an angularly movable manner. Therefore, when the air cylinder (28) is actuated to extend, the lift arm (26) is raised as indicated by imaginary lines in FIG. 2, and when the air cylinder (28) is actuated to contract, the lift arm (26) is lowered as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 2.
  • a dampening mechanism (35) is provided at the free end of the lift arm (26) . More specifically, a tire support shaft (40) is transversely attached to the free end of the lift arm (26) on the downstream side in the direction of the water flow, and a rubber tire (41) as an elastic wheel is rotatably attached to the tire support shaft (40) . As shown in FIG. 3, the rubber tire (41) is attached to a hub (42) and the hub (42) is rotatably supported on the tire support shaft (40) via a bushing (43).
  • the bottom surface (6) of the pleasure boat (5) rides over the rubber tire (41) as the boat (5) travels through the waterway (1) .
  • the bottom surface (6) of the pleasure boat (5) makes contact with the rubber tire
  • Friction plates (45) are fixed to an inner surface of the lift arm (26) at respective positions facing both ends of the hub (42) .
  • the friction plates (45) and reinforcing plates (46) tightly hold the lift arm (26) therebetween and are fixed together by bolts (47) .
  • a plurality of conical plate springs (48) are fitted over the tire support shaft (40) to press the outer surface of the lift arm (26) facing the conical plate springs (48) in spaced relation, whereby the friction plates (45) are pressed against the opposite end faces of the hub (42) . Therefore, an increased sliding resistance is generated between the opposite end faces of the hub
  • a block (51) is welded to the lift arm (26) against which a cut surface of the tire support shaft (40) is abutted to prevent the tire support shaft (40) from rotating.
  • the pleasure boats (5) set afloat in the waterway (1) advance in the direction of the flow of the water (2) indicated by arrows. While one of the pleasure boats (5) is being stopped at the platform (3) , passengers board and leave the boat.
  • the speed control apparatus
  • the lift arm (26) is raised as indicated by imaginary lines in FIG. 2. Accordingly, the rubber tire (41) mounted to the free end of the lift arm (26) is elevated up to a position near the water surface where it awaits the oncoming boat.
  • the air cylinder (28) When starting the boat (5) which is stopped or sped down by being held in contact with the rubber tire (41) as mentioned above, the air cylinder (28) is actuated to contract to lower the lift arm (26) as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 2.
  • the rubber tire (41) at the free end of the lift arm (26) is then lowered to disengage from physical contact with the bottom surface (6) of the pleasure boat (5) . Therefore, the boat (5) is released from a damped state of motion and thrust with the water flow to advance in the direction of arrow. As a result, the boat again (5) travels unimpeded, riding on the water flow.
  • the device of the invention also serves to steer the boat to set it on its proper course of travel. This is important since the boat (5) is propelled by riding on the flow of the water (2) and because the direction of travel is totally left to the water flow, succeeding boats may vary in their course of advance.
  • a damping friction member against which the bottom surface (6) comes into frictional contact is the single rubber tire (41) . Therefore, the concave-shaped bottom surface (6) and the rubber tire (41) act to mutually guide each other such that even if the rubber tire (41) comes into contact with the bottom surface (6) of the boat at a location offset from its center, it is guided by a curved slope of the bottom surface (6) so as to finally contact with the peak, i.e., the center, of the bottom surface.
  • the boat (5) travels in an attitude aslant with respect to the direction of the water flow and approaches the rubber tire (41) obliquely relative to its center line (i.e., the direction of the water flow), the front end of the bottom surface (6) of the boat is obliquely brought into frictional contact with the rubber tire (41) .
  • the turning frame (13) supporting the rubber tire (41) is angularly moved against the urging forces of the coil springs (22) , aligning the rubber tire (41) parallel to the hull.
  • the rubber tire (41) Upon the rubber tire (41) aligning parallel to the hull, the rubber tire (41) is caused to contact with the center of the bottom surface (6) of the boat. After that, the turning frame (13) is angularly moved and returned to its neutral position under restoring forces imposed by the coil springs (22) . Stated otherwise, with the turning frame (13) returned to its neutral position, the direction of the boat guided by the rubber tire (41) can be corrected to align with the direction of the water flow. It is therefore possible to make the boat properly contact with the damping mechanism (35) and achieve positive speed damping while correcting the direction of travel of the boat.
  • the above-mentioned structure for correcting the direction of the boat can be small and compact, it does not result in the drawback of other direction correction structures which cause narrowing of the waterway width, and it can be installed even at a curved portion of the waterway (1) without undergoing any limitations to the configuration of the waterway (1) . This is so even when the structure is placed in the waterway (1) at the boarding platform (3) . Further, since the structure of the direction correcting damping device does not narrow the waterway width, the spacings between the boat (5) and the side walls of the waterway (1) can be held so large as to ensure safety of passengers.
  • the speed control apparatus (10) installed at the platform (3) is operated to bring a pleasure boat (5) to a complete stop at the location of the platform (3) because passengers have to board and leave the boat at the platform. On the contrary, the speed control apparatus
  • the speed control apparatus (10) installed before the platform (3) may be set to either stop or just slow a succeeding boat (5) , as this speed control apparatus (10) serves to adjust the timing to place a succeeding boat (5) in a waiting state depending on the situation of a preceding boat (5) .
  • the speed control apparatus (10) positioned before the platform (3) with respect to the direction of travel of the boats controls the spacing between the boats, and is operated to perform control of stopping or speeding down a succeeding boat depending on the situation of the preceding boat.
  • a boat (5) can be stopped by setting a contact time longer in which the rubber tire (41) and the bottom surface (6) are held in contact with each other, and a rate of speeding down the boat can be reduced by setting the contact time shorter.
  • the boat can be stopped by actuating the air.cylinder (28) in such a manner as to increase the contact pressure between the rubber tire (41) and the bottom surface (6) of the boat, and a rate of speeding down the boat can be reduced by actuating the air cylinder (28) to produce a smaller contact pressure.
  • the speed control of the boat can be performed by monitoring the behavior of the preceding boat using another sensor or the like and regulating the length of extension of the air cylinder or the period of time in which it is held in an extended state.
  • the speed control apparatus (10) installed before the platform (3) may be kept inactive, with its lift arm (26) not raised, allowing the boat (5) to pass by the speed control apparatus without contacting the rubber tire (41) .
  • the friction forces produced between the hub (42) and the friction plates (45) can be adjusted by replacing the spacer (49) or the tightening force of the double nuts (50) to thereby vary the initial load of the plural conical plate springs (48) .
  • the member with which the bottom surface (6) of the boat comes into contact is the rubber tire (41) and the force of damping the boat (5) is generated due to the sliding resistance between the hub (42) supporting the rubber tire (41) and the friction plates (45) , there is minimal sliding friction between the bottom surface (6) of the boat and the rubber tire (41) as the counterpart member, and thus there is no appreciable sliding wear of the bottom surface (6) of the boat. As a result, the hull is prevented from being damaged and maintenance of the boat hall is minimized.
  • the damping mechanism (35) in the above embodiment has been described as comprising the rubber tire (41) coming into contact with the bottom surface (6) of the boat, the hub (42) supporting the rubber tire (41) and the friction plates (45) , and mounting these members at the distal end of the lift arm
  • the damping mechanism may be practiced in various structures such as using the belt conveyor disclosed in the above-cited Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 45- 12594 " , or a friction plate like a sleigh over which the bottom surface of the boat directly slides while producing friction therebetween.
  • the rubber tire (41) is not limited to the combination of the bottom surface (6) of the boat having a concave shape peaking at the center and the single rubber tire (41) fitting into that peak.
  • the single rubber tire (41) fitting into that peak.
  • two rubber tires (72) may be provided on both sides of the keel (71) so that the keel (71) is guided between these rubber tires (72) .
  • a coil spring (73) is used instead of the conical plate springs.
  • the damping force may be adjusted by using an actuator, such as a solenoid or an air cylinder, instead of the conical plate springs (48) or the coil spring (73) .
  • an actuator such as a solenoid or an air cylinder
  • the spring means for urging the turning frame (13) into the neutral position is not limited to a pair of the coil springs (22) as illustrated, and a single coil spring may be used to urge the turning frame (13) into the neutral position.
  • the vehicle advancing along the waterway is not limited to the pleasure boat and may be a simple boat or a raft.
  • the direction of the vehicle can be corrected to a proper direction of advance through both angularly-moving and restoring actions effected by a rotating frame and spring means, whereby the vehicle can be properly guided with respect to the damping mechanism. It is therefore possible to positively transmit a frictional damping force to the vehicle for smoothly speeding down or stopping it.
  • the damping mechanism since the damping mechanism requires no special guide plates which narrow the width of the waterway, and is of a small and compact structure, it can be installed at any position along the waterway to freely stop or speed down the vehicle. In addition, because there is no need to narrow the width of the waterway, such hazardous accidents that could occur by a passenger extending a limb outside of the vehicle which may be pinched between the guide plate and the vehicle can be eliminated or greatly reduced.

Abstract

A speed control apparatus (10) for waterway traveling vehicle (5) which can guide a vehicle (5) traveling along a waterway (1) while applying a damping force to the vehicule (5) to speed or stop it. A water traveling vehicle (5) is set afloat in a waterway (1) and propelled with the flow of water, and a damping mechanism (35) is provided in the course of the waterway (1) for stopping or speeding down the vehicle (5). A turning frame (13), guided by a guide member (12) to angularly move, is provided in the waterway (1) in an angularly movable manner, the turning frame (13) is urged by spring means (22) to align in a predetermined direction, and the damping mechanism (35) is mounted to the turning frame (13). When a vehicle (5) traveling with the aid of the water flow approaches the damping mechanism (35) obliquely, the turning frame (13) is angularly moved to make the damping mechanism (35) aligned with the direction of the vehicle (5) and then returned to the predetermined direction through reversed angular movement, under a restoring action of the spring means (22), for returning the damping mechanism (35) to its original direction, so that the direction of the vehicle (5) is corrected to the proper direction and the vehicle (5) slowed or stopped by action of the damping mechanism (35).

Description

SPEED CONTROL APPARATUS FOR WATERWAY TRAVELING VEHICLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an amusement park attraction in the form of water traveling vehicles traveling along a waterway or a waterway joined to a ground track, and more particularly to a control apparatus for slowing down or stopping such vehicles in the waterway.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In amusement parks and so forth, one popular attraction ride has been of the type in which passengers travel in an amphibious vehicle, such as a pleasure launch or boat. In operation of such an amusement ride, a pleasure launch or boat is set afloat in an endless waterway in which water is flowing, and the boat travels with the water flow. A ground track, such as a railway track, can be installed on the ground adjoining the waterway to render an amphibious amusement ride by allowing the passenger carrying vehicle to travel along these ground tracks and waterways successively, so that passengers enjoy traveling over land and in water in one ride in a single amphibious vehicle. To advance such a pleasure vehicle, namely, a pleasure launch or boat, along a waterway, a water flow traveling method has been adopted by which water in the waterway is thrust to generate a recirculating flow and the boat is urged to go ahead with the water flow generated. In the case of adopting this type of traveling method, the boat cannot control its speed by itself and its travel is totally left to the water flow. When passengers board and leave the boat at a platform, for example, the boat must be stopped there, but the boat has no capability of slowing itself. Some apparatus is therefore required to speed down and stop the boat.
Another requirement of such an attraction ride is the control of the various vehicles with respect to one another. Typically, variations occur in the speed of travel of the different boats traveling along a waterway depending on factors such as the number of passengers on board, the weight of the boat itself, and the shape of the boat, as such factors directly affect boat speed. When a plurality of boats are set afloat in the same waterway and travel one after another, such variations in speed can result in boats overtaking one another due to a boat starting later traveling at a higher speed than a preceding boat. This may cause a potential hazard if the succeeding boat comes too near to the preceding boat or bumps against it. For this reason, means for adjusting intervals between boats is required.
Further, when a preceding boat is stopped at a platform, a succeeding boat is required to wait for the preceding boat to depart from the platform to avoid collision. From this viewpoint, too, an apparatus for controlling the speed of boats is required.
Additionally, in the case where various entertainments are provided in the course of the waterway and boats are sped down or stopped at places of those entertainments, allowing passengers to view and enjoy this entertainment, the interval between a preceding boat and a succeeding boat is desired to be kept greater. In that case as well, it is necessary to speed down or stop the boats and, therefore, a velocity damping apparatus is required for that purpose.
One such apparatus for damping the travel velocity of boats is proposed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 45-12594, for example. That apparatus includes an endless conveyor which is disposed parallel to the direction of advance of boats and serves to stop a boat when the boat approaches the conveyor with the aid of a water flow and the boat's bottom rides over the conveyor. Also, by forcibly running the conveyor, by a drive unit such as a motor, the boat can be thrust forward by the conveyor, so that the boat can be started moving to depart therefrom.
In the case of employing the above prior art damping and starting apparatus, unless the boat is guided to the conveyor in a proper direction or attitude, proper friction is not produced between the boat and the conveyor, creating the potential hazard of the boat running off the conveyor.
A further potential hazard in such an apparatus arises from the water flow itself. This is because the boat is still subjected to the water flow when it rides over the conveyor and is there stopped or sped down. If the boat is inclined with respect to the direction of the water flow, or supported by the damping apparatus with an attitude directing aslant, the surface area of the boat receiving the water flow is increased, and a large water pressure is applied to the boat. Therefore, the burden upon the damping apparatus, which has to damp the boat motion against such an increased water pressure, is increased remarkably.
In addition, while passengers are boarding and leaving the boat at a platform, the boat must be directed exactly parallel to the direction of water flow, facing toward the downstream direction of flow; otherwise the boat becomes so unstable that the passengers boarding and leaving it may feel uneasy. Taking the above into account, in the proposed prior art apparatus, guide plates are provided on both left and right sides of a region of the waterway where the boat is to be stopped, making the width of the waterway narrowed and close to that of the boat. The boat is led to direct the front of the boat exactly with the chosen path for boat travel under a guide action of those left and right guide plates. -
However, the above construction of the prior art apparatus has a number of problems. Equipment, including the guide plates installed to narrow the waterway, is so large in scale as to undergo limitations in placement of such equipment. It is inevitable for side panels of the boat to contact with the guide plates, resulting in the panel surfaces being worn away or paints coated on them being peeled off, hence an unsightly appearance.
Additionally, the width of the waterway being close to the width of the boat raises the fear of a hazardous accident with respect to the passengers; that if a part of the body of any passenger is projecting out of the sides of the boat, it might be pinched between the guide plate and the boat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the state of the art as mentioned above, and its object is to provide a speed control apparatus for a waterway traveling vehicle which can guide a vehicle traveling along" a waterway with simple structure, and can positively transmit frictional damping forces to the vehicle for speeding down or stopping it.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a speed control apparatus for a vehicle used in an amusement ride in which a vehicle is set afloat in a waterway and moved along the waterway by the flow of water within it. A speed damping mechanism is provided in the course of the waterway which is positionable to come into contact with the vehicle and stop or slow said vehicle by a friction hold on the vehicle. A turning frame guided by a guide member to angularly rotate serves as the mounting' for the speed damping mechanism, and the turning frame is positioned at a predetermined position along said waterway in an angularly movable manner. The turning frame is urged by spring means to be directed in a predetermined direction, and the damping mechanism is mounted to the turning frame such that when a vehicle approaches the damping mechanism obliquely with respect to a predetermined direction of advance, the turning frame is angularly moved against said spring means to bring the damping mechanism into alignment with the direction of the vehicle. Once aligned with the direction of the vehicle, the turning frame is then returned to the predetermined direction through reversed angular movement under an urging action of the spring means. Because the damping mechanism mounted on the turning frame is in contact with the vehicle, the return rotation of the turning frame rotates the vehicle, thus, correcting the direction of said vehicle to the proper, predetermined direction of advance.
With the present invention, when a vehicle such as a pleasure boat traveling along a waterway, approaches the damping mechanism obliquely, the turning frame is angularly moved to make the damping mechanism aligned with the direction of the vehicle and then returned to the predetermined direction through reversed angular movement under a restoring action of the spring means for returning the damping mechanism to its original direction, so that the direction of the vehicle is corrected to the proper direction of advance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of speed control apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A - A in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B - B in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a waterway in the first embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the waterway showing relative placement of sensors and speed control apparatus of the first embodiment; and
FIG. 7 is a view showing the relationship between the bottom of a boat and rubber tires according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be described in conjunction with a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.
FIG. 6 is a top plan view showing the whole of a waterway for a traveling vehicle in the form of a pleasure boat set in amusement parks. A waterway (1), contains water (2) which carries one or a plurality of pleasure boats (5) . A platform (3) allows passengers to board and disembark from a particular boat (5) . A plurality of speed control apparatus (10) are located at predetermined points along the waterway where speed control of the boat (5) is desired. Sensors (7) are positioned in proximately to the speed control apparatus (10) to sense the approach a boat (5) to and thereby activate speed control apparatus (10) .
The waterway (1) in this embodiment is an endless waterway constructed using concrete or the like, and the water (2) is recirculated by a pump (not shown) to generate a flow of water in the direction indicated by arrows so that the boats (5) travel by riding on the water flow. The waterway is not limited to the illustrated endless waterway. As an alternative amusement attraction, a railway installed on the ground may be joined to a waterway, and an amphibious vehicle may travel along these railways and waterways successively, allowing the passengers to enjoy traveling over land and through water in a single amusement ride.
Each of the pleasure boats (5) may be a single- sitter boat or a larger-sized boat for a plurality of passengers ranging from several to dozens of passengers. In either case, a bottom surface (6) on the underside of the boat (5) for use in this embodiment has an upwardly curved shape, i.e., a concave shape peaking at the bottom center of the boat, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom surface (6) being utilized to guide the boat as explained later.
The speed control apparatus (10) for the pleasure boat (5) is installed at, for example, two locations; a position midway the boarding platform (3) and a position before, with respect to the travel direction of a boat, the platform (3) by a short predetermined distance. Each speed control apparatus (10) serves to speed down or stop the boat at the predetermined points in the waterway.
The speed control apparatus (10) is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to .
A base (11) of the speed control apparatus (10) , is installed on a bottom surface (la) of the waterway (1) at each of the two aforesaid predetermined locations. A guide rail (12) having an annular shape in the plane defined by the bottom surface of the waterway, for example, is fixed to the base (11) and a turning frame
(13) is mounted over the guide rail (12) in an angularly movable manner. The turning frame (13) is of substantially rectangular structure and has brackets (14) respectively fixed near its four corners. As shown in FIG. 4, a support pin (15) is attached to each of the brackets (14) and a rotary roller (17) is rotatably attached to the support pin (15) via a bushing (16) . The rotary roller (17) has an annular groove (18) formed in its outer circumference, and the annular groove (18) is engaged with a guide rib (19) projecting from an inner circumference of the guide rail (12) . Thus, the rotary rollers (17) provided near the four corners of the turning frame (13) are rotatably engaged with the guide rail (12) so that the turning frame (13) is mounted to be rotatable along the guide rail (12) .
Hooks (20) are attached to the left and right sides of the turning frame (13) , respectively, and hooks (21) "are mounted to the base (11) in opposite relation to the hooks (20) . Coil springs (22) are stretched between opposite pairs of the hooks (20) and (21) . The coil springs (22) are provided on the left and right sides of the turning frame (13) to pull it from both sides, so that the turning frame (13) maintains a neutral position with respect to the pull of the springs from the right and the left. In other words, the turning frame (13) is forced to orient in a predetermined direction, coinciding with the direction of the water flow, under urging forces of the coil springs (22) . If the turning frame (13) is subjected to such a force as breaking the balance in tensile force between the coil springs (22) , the turning frame (13) , thus, turns clockwise or counterclockwise (this can be seen in FIG. 1) along the guide rail (12) against the resilient forces of the coil springs (22) . The angular range of motion in which the turning frame (13) is constrained by-one of a plurality of stoppers (23) made of rubber or the like provided on the base against which turning frame (13) abuts upon undergoing a predetermined rotation. Thus, the turning frame (13) is restricted in its turning movement at about 45° on each of left and rights sides.
The turning frame (13) thus constructed includes an arm support shaft (25) attached to its one end on the upstream side in the direction of the water flow, and a lift arm (26) is mounted at one of its ends to the arm support shaft (25) in an angularly movable or pivotable manner. The lift arm (26) is comprised of a frame structure extending from its mounted end in the direction of the water flow. The downstream end of lift arm (26) is free, and it and has a joint shaft (27) in its intermediate portion. An air cylinder (28) is interposed between the joint shaft (27) and the turning frame (13) , and serves to angularly or pivotably raise and lower the lift arm (26) about the support shaft (25) . A base end of the air cylinder (28) is mounted to the turning frame (13) via a mount shaft (29) ' in an angularly movable manner, while a knuckle (31) provided at a distal end of a piston rod (30) of the air cylinder (28) is mounted to the joint shaft (27) in an angularly movable manner. Therefore, when the air cylinder (28) is actuated to extend, the lift arm (26) is raised as indicated by imaginary lines in FIG. 2, and when the air cylinder (28) is actuated to contract, the lift arm (26) is lowered as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 2.
A dampening mechanism (35) is provided at the free end of the lift arm (26) . More specifically, a tire support shaft (40) is transversely attached to the free end of the lift arm (26) on the downstream side in the direction of the water flow, and a rubber tire (41) as an elastic wheel is rotatably attached to the tire support shaft (40) . As shown in FIG. 3, the rubber tire (41) is attached to a hub (42) and the hub (42) is rotatably supported on the tire support shaft (40) via a bushing (43).
The bottom surface (6) of the pleasure boat (5) rides over the rubber tire (41) as the boat (5) travels through the waterway (1) . When the bottom surface (6) of the pleasure boat (5) makes contact with the rubber tire
(41) , the rubber tire (41) is caused to rotate by the friction generated between it and the moving bottom surface (6) of the passing boat (5) . Friction plates (45) are fixed to an inner surface of the lift arm (26) at respective positions facing both ends of the hub (42) . The friction plates (45) and reinforcing plates (46) tightly hold the lift arm (26) therebetween and are fixed together by bolts (47) . Opposite end faces of the hub
(42) are held in contact with the friction plates (45) so that, when the rubber tire (41) rotates, the hub (42) is also rotated while sliding at its opposite end faces over the friction plates (45) . The sliding resistance generated by friction plates (45) against the hub (42) damps the rotation of the rubber tire (41) which rotates with hub (42) .
A plurality of conical plate springs (48) are fitted over the tire support shaft (40) to press the outer surface of the lift arm (26) facing the conical plate springs (48) in spaced relation, whereby the friction plates (45) are pressed against the opposite end faces of the hub (42) . Therefore, an increased sliding resistance is generated between the opposite end faces of the hub
(42) and the friction plates (45) . An initial load of the plural conical plate springs (48) is set by a spacer (49) and double nuts (50) . Thus, the friction resistance between the hub (42) and the friction plates (45) can be adjusted by replacing the spacer (49) or changing a tightening force of the double nuts (50) .
Additionally, a block (51) is welded to the lift arm (26) against which a cut surface of the tire support shaft (40) is abutted to prevent the tire support shaft (40) from rotating.
Operation of this embodiment thus arranged will be described below.
The pleasure boats (5) set afloat in the waterway (1) advance in the direction of the flow of the water (2) indicated by arrows. While one of the pleasure boats (5) is being stopped at the platform (3) , passengers board and leave the boat. The speed control apparatus
(10) for the pleasure boats are installed at predetermined positions, specifically midway along and before the platform (3) , with respect to the direction of the travel of the boats, so that each of the pleasure boats (5) is stopped or sped down by the speed control apparatus (10) at predetermined positions.
More specifically, when one of the boats (5) to be stopped or sped down approaches the speed control apparatus (10) , the sensor (7) installed in the waterway
(1) senses the boat's approach and issues a command to extend the air cylinder (28) of the speed control apparatus (10) . Upon the air cylinder (28) extending, the lift arm (26) is raised as indicated by imaginary lines in FIG. 2. Accordingly, the rubber tire (41) mounted to the free end of the lift arm (26) is elevated up to a position near the water surface where it awaits the oncoming boat.
When one of the pleasure boats (5) advances, in the direction of arrow, toward the speed control apparatus (10) when the lift arm (26) is raised, the bottom surface (6) of the boat comes into contact with the rubber tire (41) . The contact between the bottom surface (6) and the rubber tire (41) brings them into frictionally engaged relation, whereby the rubber tire (41) is forced to rotate by the movement of advancing boat (5) frictionally engaged with it. The rotation of the rubber tire (41) causes the hub (42) to be rotated together therewith while sliding over the friction plates (45) which are held in contact with the opposite end faces of the hub (42) . The rotation of the hub (42) is restricted because the opposite end faces of the hub (42) and the frictional plates (45) are subjected to predetermined forces of the friction resistance generated by the urging forces of the conical plate springs (48) . In other words, when the rubber tire
(41) is urged into rotation by contact with the passing boat (5) , its rotation is restricted by the friction between the hub (42) and the friction plates (45) , thereby speeding down the boat (5) in frictional contact with the rubber tire (41) . Accordingly, when the boat (5) rides over the rubber tire (41) , its speed is gradually slowed down and the boat (5) is finally stopped.
When starting the boat (5) which is stopped or sped down by being held in contact with the rubber tire (41) as mentioned above, the air cylinder (28) is actuated to contract to lower the lift arm (26) as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 2. The rubber tire (41) at the free end of the lift arm (26) is then lowered to disengage from physical contact with the bottom surface (6) of the pleasure boat (5) . Therefore, the boat (5) is released from a damped state of motion and thrust with the water flow to advance in the direction of arrow. As a result, the boat again (5) travels unimpeded, riding on the water flow.
Other than the above damping action upon the pleasure boat (5) , the device of the invention also serves to steer the boat to set it on its proper course of travel. This is important since the boat (5) is propelled by riding on the flow of the water (2) and because the direction of travel is totally left to the water flow, succeeding boats may vary in their course of advance.
In this embodiment, while the bottom surface (6) of the pleasure boat (5) has a concave shape peaking at the center, a damping friction member against which the bottom surface (6) comes into frictional contact is the single rubber tire (41) . Therefore, the concave-shaped bottom surface (6) and the rubber tire (41) act to mutually guide each other such that even if the rubber tire (41) comes into contact with the bottom surface (6) of the boat at a location offset from its center, it is guided by a curved slope of the bottom surface (6) so as to finally contact with the peak, i.e., the center, of the bottom surface.
Further, if the boat (5) travels in an attitude aslant with respect to the direction of the water flow and approaches the rubber tire (41) obliquely relative to its center line (i.e., the direction of the water flow), the front end of the bottom surface (6) of the boat is obliquely brought into frictional contact with the rubber tire (41) . In this case, since the front end of the boat (5) obliquely pushes the rubber tire (41) , the turning frame (13) supporting the rubber tire (41) , is angularly moved against the urging forces of the coil springs (22) , aligning the rubber tire (41) parallel to the hull. Upon the rubber tire (41) aligning parallel to the hull, the rubber tire (41) is caused to contact with the center of the bottom surface (6) of the boat. After that, the turning frame (13) is angularly moved and returned to its neutral position under restoring forces imposed by the coil springs (22) . Stated otherwise, with the turning frame (13) returned to its neutral position, the direction of the boat guided by the rubber tire (41) can be corrected to align with the direction of the water flow. It is therefore possible to make the boat properly contact with the damping mechanism (35) and achieve positive speed damping while correcting the direction of travel of the boat.
Since the above-mentioned structure for correcting the direction of the boat can be small and compact, it does not result in the drawback of other direction correction structures which cause narrowing of the waterway width, and it can be installed even at a curved portion of the waterway (1) without undergoing any limitations to the configuration of the waterway (1) . This is so even when the structure is placed in the waterway (1) at the boarding platform (3) . Further, since the structure of the direction correcting damping device does not narrow the waterway width, the spacings between the boat (5) and the side walls of the waterway (1) can be held so large as to ensure safety of passengers.
The speed control apparatus (10) installed at the platform (3) is operated to bring a pleasure boat (5) to a complete stop at the location of the platform (3) because passengers have to board and leave the boat at the platform. On the contrary, the speed control apparatus
(10) installed before the platform (3) may be set to either stop or just slow a succeeding boat (5) , as this speed control apparatus (10) serves to adjust the timing to place a succeeding boat (5) in a waiting state depending on the situation of a preceding boat (5) . In this manner, the speed control apparatus (10) positioned before the platform (3) with respect to the direction of travel of the boats controls the spacing between the boats, and is operated to perform control of stopping or speeding down a succeeding boat depending on the situation of the preceding boat.
For such control of slowing down the boat speed, a boat (5) can be stopped by setting a contact time longer in which the rubber tire (41) and the bottom surface (6) are held in contact with each other, and a rate of speeding down the boat can be reduced by setting the contact time shorter. As an alternative control scheme, the boat can be stopped by actuating the air.cylinder (28) in such a manner as to increase the contact pressure between the rubber tire (41) and the bottom surface (6) of the boat, and a rate of speeding down the boat can be reduced by actuating the air cylinder (28) to produce a smaller contact pressure. Accordingly, the speed control of the boat can be performed by monitoring the behavior of the preceding boat using another sensor or the like and regulating the length of extension of the air cylinder or the period of time in which it is held in an extended state.
When the preceding boat is not stopped at the platform (3) , the speed control apparatus (10) installed before the platform (3) may be kept inactive, with its lift arm (26) not raised, allowing the boat (5) to pass by the speed control apparatus without contacting the rubber tire (41) .
Moreover, the friction forces produced between the hub (42) and the friction plates (45) can be adjusted by replacing the spacer (49) or the tightening force of the double nuts (50) to thereby vary the initial load of the plural conical plate springs (48) .
Additionally, in the above-explained embodiment, since the member with which the bottom surface (6) of the boat comes into contact is the rubber tire (41) and the force of damping the boat (5) is generated due to the sliding resistance between the hub (42) supporting the rubber tire (41) and the friction plates (45) , there is minimal sliding friction between the bottom surface (6) of the boat and the rubber tire (41) as the counterpart member, and thus there is no appreciable sliding wear of the bottom surface (6) of the boat. As a result, the hull is prevented from being damaged and maintenance of the boat hall is minimized.
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment.
More specifically, the damping mechanism (35) in the above embodiment has been described as comprising the rubber tire (41) coming into contact with the bottom surface (6) of the boat, the hub (42) supporting the rubber tire (41) and the friction plates (45) , and mounting these members at the distal end of the lift arm
(26) which is raised by the air cylinder (28) . However, the damping mechanism may be practiced in various structures such as using the belt conveyor disclosed in the above-cited Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 45- 12594", or a friction plate like a sleigh over which the bottom surface of the boat directly slides while producing friction therebetween.
Further, the mechanism for correcting and guiding the attitude in contact between the bottom surface
(6) of the boat and the rubber tire (41) is not limited to the combination of the bottom surface (6) of the boat having a concave shape peaking at the center and the single rubber tire (41) fitting into that peak. Like another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, for example, in the case of the pleasure boat (5) having a central rib such as a keel (71) projecting from the bottom surface, two rubber tires (72) may be provided on both sides of the keel (71) so that the keel (71) is guided between these rubber tires (72) . Additionally, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, a coil spring (73) is used instead of the conical plate springs.
Also, the damping force may be adjusted by using an actuator, such as a solenoid or an air cylinder, instead of the conical plate springs (48) or the coil spring (73) .
Further, the spring means for urging the turning frame (13) into the neutral position is not limited to a pair of the coil springs (22) as illustrated, and a single coil spring may be used to urge the turning frame (13) into the neutral position.
Finally, the vehicle advancing along the waterway is not limited to the pleasure boat and may be a simple boat or a raft.
According to the present invention, as described above, when a vehicle traveling along a waterway obliquely approaches a damping mechanism, the direction of the vehicle can be corrected to a proper direction of advance through both angularly-moving and restoring actions effected by a rotating frame and spring means, whereby the vehicle can be properly guided with respect to the damping mechanism. It is therefore possible to positively transmit a frictional damping force to the vehicle for smoothly speeding down or stopping it. Furthermore, since the damping mechanism requires no special guide plates which narrow the width of the waterway, and is of a small and compact structure, it can be installed at any position along the waterway to freely stop or speed down the vehicle. In addition, because there is no need to narrow the width of the waterway, such hazardous accidents that could occur by a passenger extending a limb outside of the vehicle which may be pinched between the guide plate and the vehicle can be eliminated or greatly reduced.

Claims

I claim:
1. A speed control device for a water traveling vehicle comprising: a base fixed below the surface of the water; a lifting arm having a pivot end and a lifting end and pivotably mounted at said pivot end on said base; a hub rotatably mounted to said lifting end of said lifting arm; a wheel mounted on said hub; a friction plate mounted on said lifting arm positioned to make frictional contact with said hub and thereby create resistance to dampen the rotation of said hub and wheel; wherein said wheel is positioned beneath the surface of the water to physically contact the bottom of a passing water traveling vehicle and rotate by the movement of the water traveling vehicle surface upon the wheel; wherein the rotation of said hub and wheel is dampened by the frictional hold of said friction plate on said hub; and whereby the water traveling vehicle boat in contact with said wheel is slowed or stopped by the frictional force necessary to rotate said wheel and hub against the resistance of the friction plate.
2. A speed control device as in claim 1 further comprising: a turning frame mounted between said base and said lifting arm to permit angular rotation, in a substantially horizontal plane, of said lifting arm about said base; a spring biasing said lifting arm to a predetermined direction parallel to the chosen course of travel for a water traveling vehicle, wherein contact with said wheel by a water traveling vehicle aligned obliquely with respect to the direction of the chosen course of travel for the vehicle angularly moves said wheel and lifting arm on said turning frame to a direction parallel to the oblique alignment of the vehicle, and wherein said spring returns said lifting arm and wheel to align substantially parallel to the chosen direction of travel for the vehicle thereby turning the vehicle, in frictional contact with said wheel, to a direction substantially parallel to the chosen direction of travel for the water traveling vehicle.
3. A speed control device for a water traveling vehicle as in claim 1 further comprising: a lifting means to raise and lower the lifting end of said lifting arm between a lowered position and a raised position, wherein the lower position allows passage of a water traveling vehicle passing above said speed control device without physically contacting said wheel of said speed control device and the raised position allows said wheel of said speed control device to physically contact a bottom surface of a water traveling vehicle passing above said speed control device.
4. A speed control device as in claim 3 further comprising a sensor to sense the approach of water traveling vehicle traveling toward said speed control device, said sensor sending a signal to said lifting means to raise or lower said lifting arm between a raised position and a lowered position, to position said wheel to contact a bottom surface of a water traveling vehicle in its raised position, or allow unimpeded passage of a water traveling vehicle traveling over said speed control device in its lowered position, according to a predetermined timing of the movement of the water traveling vehicle.
5. A system for controlling the speed of a plurality of water traveling vehicles comprising: a water way configured to contain a level of water for the travel of water traveling vehicles; a speed control device comprising: a base fixed below the surface of the water; a lifting arm having a pivot end and a lifting end and pivotably mounted at said pivot and on said base; a hub rotatably mounted to said lifting end of said lifting arm; a wheel mounted on said hub to rotate therewith; a friction plate mounted on said lifting arm positioned to make frictional contact with said hub and thereby create resistance to the rotation of said hub and wheel; a lifting means to raise and lower the lifting end of said lifting arm between a lowered position and a raised position; a sensor to sense the approach of a water traveling vehicle traveling toward said speed control device, said sensor sending a signal to said lifting means to raise or lower said lifting arm between a raised position and a lowered position, to position said wheel to either contact a bottom surface of a water traveling vehicle in its raised position, or allow unimpeded passage of a water traveling vehicle traveling over said speed control device in its lowered position, according to a predetermined timing of the movement of the water traveling vehicle, wherein the rotation of said hub and wheel is damped by the frictional hold of said friction plate on said hub when said lifting arm is in the raised position; and whereby the water traveling vehicle boat in contact with said wheel is slowed or stopped by the frictional force necessary to rotate said wheel and hub against the resistance of the friction plate when the lifting arm is in the raised position.
6. A system to control the speed of a plurality of vehicle traveling at least in part through water by floating thereupon comprising: a plurality of speed control devices comprising: a base fixed below the surface of the water; a lifting arm having a pivot end and a lifting end and pivotably mounted at said pivot end on said base; a hub rotatably mounted to said lifting end of said lifting arm; a wheel mounted on said hub to rotate therewith; a friction plate mounted on said lifting arm positioned to make frictional contact with said hub and thereby create resistance to the rotation of said hub and wheel; a lifting means to raise and lower the lifting end of said lifting arm between a lowered position and a raised position; a plurality of sensors to sense the approach of a water traveling vehicle toward a particular speed control device, said sensor sending a signal to said lifting means of said speed control device to raise or lower said lifting arm of said speed control device between a raised position and lowered position, wherein the speed of each of the plurality of vehicles is controlled' at particular points of travel within the waterway by selective activation of the lifting means of particular speed control devices by a particular sensor sensing the approach of a vehicle traveling toward a speed control device, wherein a boat is slowed or stopped by activation of the lifting means of a particular speed control device by a particular sensor, so that the lifting arm of the speed control device is raised to a raised position wherein the wheel of said speed control device is positioned to contact a bottom surface of a boat to be slowed or stopped, and the rotation of said hub and wheel is dampened by the frictional hold of said friction plate on said hub whereby the boat in contact with said wheel is slowed or stopped by the frictional force necessary to rotate said wheel and hub against the resistance of the friction plate and wherein said sensor signals said lifting means to lower said lifting arm to a lowered position to lower said wheel of said speed control device to allow unrestricted travel of a water traveling vehicle according to a predetermined timing of travel of water traveling vehicles.
7. A speed control apparatus for a waterway traveling vehicle used in pleasure equipment that said vehicle is set afloat in a waterway and traveled along said waterway, and a damping mechanism is provided in the course of said waterway for coming into contact with said vehicle and stopping or speeding down said vehicle due to friction when said vehicle approaches, wherein: a turning frame guided by a guide member to angularly move is provided at a predetermined position along said waterway in an angularly movable manner, said turning frame is urged by spring means to direct in a predetermined direction, and said damping mechanism is mounted to said turning frame, whereby when said vehicle approaches said damping mechanism slantly with respect to a predetermined direction of advance, said turning frame is angularly moved against said spring means to make said damping mechanism directed in the direction of said vehicle and then angularly moved to return to the predetermined direction under an urging action of said spring means for correcting the direction of said vehicle to the predetermined direction of advance.
8. A speed control apparatus for a waterway traveling vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said damping mechanism for stopping or speeding down said vehicle comprises: an elastic wheel coming into contact with said vehicle and rotated as said vehicle advances, a friction plate for damping the rotation of said wheel, a lift arm supporting said wheel and said friction plate and mounted to said turning frame to be capable of rising and lowering, and an actuator for controlling said lift arm to raise and lower said lift arm.
9. A speed control apparatus for a waterway traveling vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a bottom surface of said vehicle and said elastic wheel cooperatively constitute a guide mechanism for making the center of said vehicle aligned with the center of said damping mechanism.
PCT/US1993/004779 1992-05-18 1993-05-18 Speed control apparatus for waterway traveling vehicle WO1993023126A1 (en)

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JP4148944A JP2567183B2 (en) 1992-05-18 1992-05-18 Speed control device for waterway vehicles
JP4/148944 1992-05-18

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US11130068B2 (en) * 2018-11-20 2021-09-28 Universal City Studios Llc Water amusement ride motion governor
KR102344841B1 (en) * 2019-12-26 2021-12-29 아주자동차대학 산학협력단 automatic swingable swing system

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US1591566A (en) * 1924-11-06 1926-07-06 George A Schmidt Amusement device
US3404635A (en) * 1965-04-16 1968-10-08 Walt Disney Prod Boat amusement ride
US3830161A (en) * 1973-07-06 1974-08-20 Arrow Dev Co Flume boat ride with a double downchute
US4149469A (en) * 1977-10-03 1979-04-17 Six Flags, Inc. Log braking and stabilizing system for log flume ride
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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1591566A (en) * 1924-11-06 1926-07-06 George A Schmidt Amusement device
US3404635A (en) * 1965-04-16 1968-10-08 Walt Disney Prod Boat amusement ride
US3830161A (en) * 1973-07-06 1974-08-20 Arrow Dev Co Flume boat ride with a double downchute
US4149469A (en) * 1977-10-03 1979-04-17 Six Flags, Inc. Log braking and stabilizing system for log flume ride
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JP2567183B2 (en) 1996-12-25

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