Observation wheel type ride

The invention relates to an observation wheel type ride.

Observation wheels or giant wheels are common in cities and on fairgrounds. Due to their height and their slow movement they generally provide an impressive view over the surrounding area.

Conventional observation wheels usually include a fixed support structure and a wheel, which is rotatably mounted in the support structure. The mounting is usually accomplished by means of a central axis or shaft, which is supported in corresponding bearings of the support structure. The wheel further includes an annular construction, generally designated as "ring", which supports a plurality of passenger seats or cabins. The connection between the annular structure and the central axis or spindle is usually accomplished by a plurality of connecting bars or steel cables, generally designated as "spokes".

Some observation wheels are designed to have the rotary drive act directly on the central shaft of the wheel or on the annular construction with one or several synchronized drives. Other observation wheels, in particular the larger ones, use a cable (steel cable) which is fixed to the circumference of the wheel and connected to a rotation drive, which is situated in the support structure below the wheel. The rotary drive acts on the cable via a drive pulley in order to move the wheel.

EP 1 790 402 A1 discloses a corresponding drive mechanism for an observation wheel. Although this observation wheel is particular in that it does not have a movable wheel but a fixed annular structure, on which the moving passenger gondolas, which are interconnected with each other by means of connecting cables, are guided on rails, the drive mechanism is identical to the aforementioned cable drive system of conventional observation wheels. The cable drive system of EP 1 790 402 A1 includes a steel cable, which frictionally engages on rolls of each of the gondolas, thereby moving the gondolas along the rails of the annular structure. The rotational drive of the observation wheel is located directly underneath the annular structure and includes two drive pulleys which are mounted on a single driveshaft of the motor. The steel cable, which runs on both sides along the circumference of the annular structure, is deflected by the drive pulleys in such a way that the cable is constantly changing from side to side. In order to be guided to the drive mechanism, the steel cable, in the lower part of the annular structure, is led away from the circumference of the annular structure in the tangential direction.

The cable drive system according to EP 1 790 402 A1 is disadvantageous in that it requires that the drive mechanism is located directly underneath the annular structure. Further, the design of a drive mechanism according to EP 1 790 402 A1 requires that the maximum width of the gondolas is less than the distance between the two loops of the driving steel cable (thus less than the width of the annular structure), in order to avoid a collision of the gondolas with the tangentially led away section of the steel cable.

In view of this prior art, it was the object of the present invention to provide an advanced observation wheel like ride, which avoids at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art.

This object is solved by the subject of the independent claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are subject of the dependent claims and will become apparent from the following specification of the invention.

According to the invention, the above mentioned drawbacks of the above described cable drive system are avoided by means of a specific guidance of the cable.

A observation wheel type ride according to the invention includes

• a support structure,
• a wheel, which is either rotatably mounted in the support structure and/or which includes transportation means (in particular passenger transportation means), which are movably supported on the wheel,
• a drive mechanism, which includes a rotary drive and a cable, whereas a section of the cable is detachably fixed to a circumference of the wheel and/or to the transportation means for transmitting the rotary movement of the rotary drive to the wheel and/or the transportation means, and
• deflection means, which deflect in a lateral direction with respect to the wheel that section of the cable, which is lead over the rotary drive.

Due to the deflection of the cable in the sideways or lateral direction, a collision of the passenger cabins can be avoided even if the cabins project over the lateral end of the wheel and the loop of the drive cable, which is affixed to the wheel. This allows a design of the passenger cabins, which is not limited by the lateral dimensions of the wheel. Further, as the drive cable is deflected sideways before entering the rotary drive, the observation wheel like amusement ride according to the invention allows for a location of the rotary drive adjacent to the wheel; a positioning of the rotary drive directly underneath the wheel is not necessary. In comparison with classical drive systems made of several synchronized drives, the observation wheel according to the invention may be used with a single drive and thus does not require a synchronizing of several drives, which is known as a problem.

A "wheel" according to the invention may have a shape other than circular, e.g. an elliptical, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. shape.

A "rotary drive" according to the invention is any drive which allows a continuous movement of the cable.

A "cable" according to the invention is any means for transmitting forces, which is flexible enough to be guided in a loop along the circumference of the wheel and through the drive mechanism. This may include any suitable robes, (Steel) cables, chains, etc.

The "circumference of the wheel" must not be the circumferential outside edge of the wheel but may be any ring-shaped area that encircles the gravitational or rotational centre of the wheel.

In a preferred embodiment of the ride according to the invention, at least one and preferably two deflection pulleys are used for deflecting the cable in a lateral direction with respect to the wheel. A deflection pulley allows for a low frictional deflection of a cable in almost any direction. Deflection pulleys may be provided on both sides of the annular structure in order to lead away the cable from the circumference of the annular structure.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the deflection means include one or two deflection pulleys, a drive pulley of the rotary drive, and additional guide pulleys, which are arranged between the deflection pulley(s) and the drive pulley of the rotary drive. The two guide pulley may be provided to deflect the drive cable again, which allows for a positioning of the drive pulley parallel or almost parallel to the wheel.

In case two deflection pulleys are used, one may be provided to deflect an incoming section of the drive cable while the other one of the deflection pulleys may be provided to deflect an outgoing section of the drive cable. Each of the drive pulleys may be provided with a circumferential groove into which the drive cable engages in order to be securely guide by the deflection pulley. The two deflection pulleys may be supported by separate shafts or they may be supported by a single shaft in a way that an independent rotation of the two deflection pulleys with respect to each other is given. Instead of a single shaft two collinear shafts may be suitable, too.

In case only one deflection pulley is provided, that deflection pulley may be provided with two (preferably parallel) grooves, whereas one of the grooves is provided to guide the incoming section of the drive cable, while the other groove is provided for guiding the outgoing section of the drive cable. It is self-evident, that two deflection pulleys, which are arranged on top of each other and which are supported by the same axis or by two collinear axes are equivalent to a single deflection pulley with two grooves.

Preferably, the cable may frictionally engage the circumference of the wheel and/or with (a part) of the transportation means in order to transmit the driving force from the cable to the wheel and/or to the transportation means. Nevertheless, a form-locking engagement of the cable and the wheel and/or the transportation means is possible as well.

Preferably, the cable frictionally engages in a plurality of cable shoes, which are - preferably evenly - distributed along the circumference of the wheel and/or the transportation means. This allows for a simple structural connection of the cable and the wheel and/or the transportation means.

The invention will be further explained - as an example only and without being limitative in any way - by the following description of a preferred embodiment, as shown in the drawings, in which

Fig. 1:

is a back view of a first embodiment of an observation wheel according to the invention;

Fig. 2:

is a back view of the lower section of the observation wheel according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3:

is an isometric view of the lower section of the observation wheel according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 4:

is another isometric view of the lower section of the observation wheel according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 5:

is a back view of a second embodiment of an observation wheel according to the invention;

Fig. 6:

is a back view of the lower section of the observation wheel according to Fig. 5;

Fig. 7:

is an isometric view of the lower section of the observation wheel according to Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8:

is another isometric view of the observation wheel according to Fig. 5.

Figs. 1 to 4 show a preferred embodiment of an observation wheel according to the invention. The observation wheel shown is a stationary observation wheel, which means that it is designed to be situated in the same location for the whole operation time. It is self-evident, that also movable observation wheel like rides can be designed according to the invention.

The observation wheel according to the embodiment presented in the drawings includes a support structure, which is composed of five columns 1. Each of those five columns 1 extends from a foundation 2 in the ground to the centre of a(n) (almost) circular wheel. The wheel includes an annular framework 3 which is connected to a central axis 4 by means of a plurality of connecting rods 5. The central axis 4 is mounted in respective bearings at the top end of the five columns 1 and represents the rotational axis of the wheel.

A plurality of passenger cabins 6 are evenly distributed along and attached to the outside of the annular framework 3. The passenger cabins 6 have an elongated shape with their longitudinal axis being parallel to the central axis 4 of the wheel. Each passenger cabin 6 provides space for a plurality of passengers and constitutes of a steel base and a steel ceiling and walls made of glass to provide an almost undisturbed view over 360°. The passenger cabins 6 are mounted to the outside of the annular framework 3 in a way that allows for a free rotation about their longitudinal axes; this is accomplished by two annular bearings 7 per cabin 6. Alternatively, the cabins may be rotationally driven or self-rotating.

The wheel is rotationally driven by means of a drive mechanism which includes an electric motor 8, which is situated in a subterraneous engine room 9. The electric motor 8 is horizontally aligned (different angles are possible) and acts via a gear box 10 on a drive pulley 11, which is vertically aligned.

The rotational movement of the electric motor 8 is transferred to the wheel by means of a steel cable 12. The steel cable 12 is guided along a plurality of cable shoes 13, which are evenly distributed along the circumference of the annular framework 3.

At the bottom of the wheel two deflection pulleys 14 are arranged on separate supports 15. The deflection pulleys 14, supported by two infeed rollers 16, deflect the steel cable 12 over an angle of almost 90° in a lateral direction with respect to the wheel. The incoming and the outgoing sections of the steel cable 12 are thus showing in the direction of the engine room, which is located sideways of the wheel. Guide pulleys 17 are destined for a further deflection of the incoming and outgoing sections of the steel cable 12, in order to correlate the alignment of the incoming and outgoing sections of the steel cable and the drive pulley 11. Due to lateral deflection of the steel cable 12, the steel cable 12 does not cross downward nearby the cabins 6 at short distance and thus does not interfere with a passenger's look out of the cabins 6.

Figs. 5 to 8 show a different embodiment of an observation wheel according to the invention. The observation wheel according to Figs. 5 to 8 differs from the observation wheel according to Figs. 1 to 4 mainly in the design of the deflection means which are provided to lead the steel cable 12 away from the annular structure 3 of the wheel. While two deflection pulleys 14 are used with the observation wheel according to Figs. 1 to 4, only one deflection wheel 14a is used with the observation wheel according to Figs. 5 to 8. The observation wheel 14a is used to simultaneously deflect both, the incoming and the outgoing sections of the steel cable 12. Accordingly, the deflection pulley 14a is provided with two parallel circumferential grooves 18a, in each of which either the incoming or the outgoing section of the steel cable 12 is guided.

While the observation wheel according to Figs. 1 to 4 is provided with a single infeed roller 16 per deflection pulley, the observation wheel according to Figs. 5 to 8 is provided with two infeed guiding devices 16a, both of which providing a plurality of infeed rollers 16b. While one of the infeed guiding devices 16a aligns the incoming section of the steel cable 12 in that it engages securely in one of the two circumferential grooves 18a of deflection pulley 14a, the other one of the infeed guiding devices 16a correspondingly aligns the outgoing section of the steel cable 12 in order to securely engage in the other one of the circumferential grooves 18a.

The observation wheels according to the invention may also be provided with a double loop cable drive system as it is disclosed in principle in aforementioned EP 1 790 402 A1, where the drive cable runs on both sides along the circumference of the wheel, or with two single cable drive systems, one on either side of the wheel.