Merry-go-round

The invention relates to a carrousel comprising:

• a column which is suspended from at least one supporting leg so that it rotates about a horizontal or slanting axis;
• a passenger seating facility provided rotatably near one end of the column;
• a counterweight fitted at the other end of the column;
• means for rotating the column about said horizontal or slanting axis;
• and means for rotating the passenger seating facility about the central axis of said column.

Such a carrousel is known from NL-A-8,500,983.

When the column and the passenger seating facility rotate the passengers will be exposed to two centrifugal forces. The resultant of said forces is variable in direction and magnitude, which constitutes part of the attractiveness of the carrousel.

The invention is based on the idea that the attractiveness can be greatly increased in a simple manner.

For this the passenger seating facility is provided according to the invention with a number of benches which are suspended in a hinged manner.

The resultant of the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the column, the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the passenger seating facility and the force of gravity takes the benches into gradually changing, more or less lying positions, with the result that persons sitting on the benches can observe the surroundings in very varying sitting or lying positions.

The passenger seating facility preferably has a number of arms extending radially from the column, and a number of benches are suspended between the ends of each successive set of arms.

It is pointed out that a tower which seesaws about a horizontal axis and has a passenger seating facility at one end and a counterweight at the other end is known from US-A-2,172,451. The passenger seating facility is a gondola which can rotate in two directions at right angles to each other. The column can seesaw, but cannot rotate.

A carrousel with an arm which can swivel about a horizontal axis by means of a hydraulic cylinder, which arm has fitted on it a revolving frame having at one end hingedly suspended gondolas in which passengers stand, is also known from DE-A-3,538,398. The revolving frame carries out no rotary movements about two axes at right angles to each other.

The invention will now be explained in greater detail with reference to the figures, in which an example of an embodiment is shown.

• Figure 1 shows a side view; and
• Figure 2 shows a top view of the carrousel according to the invention.

The carrousel shown comprises a number of supporting legs 1 extending upwards at an angle from anchoring blocks 2 to a rotatably mounted horizontal shaft 3 which can be rotated by means of a drive unit 4. A column 5 is fixed on the horizontal shaft 3, which column can consequently rotate about a horizontal axis.

Of course, it is also possible to make the shaft 3 non-rotatable and to fit the column 5 on the shaft by means of a bearing, in which case drive means can make the column rotate directly.

Supported at one end of the column 5 is a bush 5a to which a number of radially extending arms 6 are fixed. By means of the drive means 7 the bush 5a with arms 6 can be rotated about the central axis of the bush, which coincides with the central axis of the column 5.

In the device shown both the drive means 4 and the drive means 7 comprise an electric motor 8, 9 respectively which drives a gear wheel meshing with a gear ring 10, 11 respectively, which gear ring is fixed to the shaft 3 or the bush 5a. Other drive mechanisms are also possible.

Benches 12 are hingedly suspended between the ends of the arms 6.

A counterweight 13 is fitted at the end of the column lying opposite the bush 5.

When the arms 6 with benches 12 rotate and the column 5 rotates, the benches will be subjected to two centrifugal forces. The resultants of said forces and the force of gravity bring the benches into gradually changing, more or less horizontal positions, in which persons who have taken a seat on the benches see the surroundings in very varying positions. These variations in position can be increased further by temporarily stopping one of the rotating movements.

Various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, a platform can be used instead of the arms 6. The column or swivelling arm 5 can also be disposed at an angle. In that case the supporting structure 5a, 6 can be fixed in such a way to the column 5 that said structure takes up a horizontal position for boarding and alighting.