BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a conveyor for an amusement vehicle, and in specific, a belt and roller conveyor for drawing an amusement vehicle to a predetermined height for downward travel .

In recent years, amusement apparatuses tend to be larger in scale and more diversified. Among them, the roller coaster has been a popular apparatus for long years from the beginning of its introduction.

Recent roller coasters are provided to move on a track making looped or spiral turns, etc., so as to provide a thrill to the riders.

An amusement attraction similar to a roller coaster, has a water chute in which a boat slides on a sharp slope to plunge into a pond.

When the boat used in such a water chute is drawn up to the start point of downward travel, lift fittings are attached to the boat, for ensuring the engagement with the bottom of the boat, to draw the boat up by a chain, etc.

However, the chain method has various problems such as the unpleasant feeling given to the passengers as the boat passes each notch interval of the chain mechanism, the noise generated at the sprockets, and a high level of maintenance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been achieved to overcome these problems. The object of the present invention is to provide a belt conveyor for an amusement vehicle, with conveyor rollers formed to accommodate the bottom shape of the amusement vehicle, for effectively optimizing the draw-up force by more closely fitting to the amusement vehicle, and also for reducing the wear of the belt and rollers and the load to the drive source.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a conveyor for an amusement vehicle, comprising a belt spread around plural rollers, each of the rollers, being formed to closely contact the bottom surface of the amusement vehicle.

In the conveyor composed as above, the rollers arranged at a location for introducing the amusement vehicle at or near the top can be supported by a cushioning support mechanism.

Furthermore, each of the rollers can be formed by connecting plural roller components sequentially, and the contact surfaces between the roller components and the belt can be arranged to correspond to the bottom surface of the amusement vehicle.

Moreover, the central roller components of the respective rollers can have a groove formed respectively on the face to contact the belt while the belt can have protrusion guides formed to correspond to the grooves.

When the amusement vehicle is drawn up, it is placed on the belt of the conveyor. The amusement vehicle has its bottom kept in close contact with the belt owing to the shape of the conveyor rollers respectively formed

by a plural roller components. Therefore, the amusement vehicle can be smoothly drawn up to the start point of traveling. When the amusement vehicle is drawn up on the belt, the conveyor rollers are allowed to be displaced in the direction perpendicular to the belt by a cushioning support mechanism even when the amusement vehicle passes over a place where the height of the conveyor belt changes suddenly. Thus, the belt closely contacts the bottom of the amusement vehicle to optimize the draw-up force and also to keep the amusement vehicle stable. Furthermore, the roller displacement though a cushion effect eases the impact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the conveyor for an amusement vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative plan view showing the conveyor illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the amusement vehicle carried by the conveyor illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an illustrative cross sectional view showing the amusement vehicle illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an illustrated sectional view showing one of the rollers constituting the conveyor for an amusement vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a cushioning support mechanism for the rollers illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative sectional view showing an essential portion of the cushioning support mechanism illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an essential portion of the cushioning support mechanism illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is an illustration showing the action of the conveyor for an amusement vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an illustration showing the action of the conveyor for an amusement vehicle of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The conveyor for an amusement vehicle of the present invention is described below in detail with reference to the drawings and an example herein described.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, symbol 1 denotes the conveyor for an amusement vehicle of the present invention. The conveyor 1 is a belt conveyor with a belt 3 spread around plural rollers 2, and is used to draw up the amusement vehicle 4 up to the start point of traveling located at a high position.

The amusement vehicle 4 is described below. As shown in FIG. 3, the amusement vehicle 4 travels on a gradient passage and water channel (not illustrated) , and like an ordinary boat, the tip of the vehicular main body has a form rising from the bottom 5 toward the tip point .

The bottom 5 is provided with main wheels 6 for traveling along the passage (not illustrated) and guide

wheels 7 to be guided along the side walls (not illustrated) of the passage, and also support wheels 8 for preventing the floating of the vehicular main body during descending travel. The amusement vehicle 4 has seats 9, and also holders 10 for holding the passengers and grips 11 to be grasped by the passengers.

In the amusement vehicle 4 as described above, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom 5 is inwardly curved with the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the vehicular main body as the vertex, to form a space 12 near the central axis to prevent splashing.

Flanks 13 are also inwardly curved from the bottom 5 upward to protrude outside in the width direction of the vehicular main body. The shapes of the main body, the bottom 5 and the flanks 14 of the amusement vehicle 4 have been optimized by traveling tests.

The rollers 2 used to convey the amusement vehicle 4 are described below.

Each of the rollers 2, as shown in FIG. 5, has its outside diameter at the center kept larger than the outside diameter at both the ends . The profile from one end to the center and then to the other end is formed to correspond to the surface form of the bottom 5 of the amusement vehicle 4.

Each of the rollers 2 is formed by connecting roller components 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d and 15o with bearings 14 as the central axis, sequentially in the axial direction of the bearings 14. The roller unit 15o at the center of the roller 2 has a trapezoidal groove 16 formed to be engaged with a protrusion guide 24 formed on the belt 3, for preventing the spread belt 3 from being slid off.

In the conveyor 1 with the rollers 2 as described above, the rollers arranged at a location where the amusement vehicle 4 is introduced and at a location corresponding to the top are supported by a cushioning support mechanism 17 respectively as shown in FIG. 6.

In the cushioning support mechanism 17, a shaft 18 inserted through the bearings 14 of each of the rollers 2 is supported rotatably at one end of a support arm 22 installed pivotally at an intermediate point by a rotating shaft 21 supported by a shaft support 20 on a base frame 19, and the support arm 22 is set to the base frame 19 through a spring 23 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) .

The conveyor 1 for an amusement vehicle of the present invention is composed as described above, and its action is described below.

When the amusement vehicle 4 is drawn up to a location where it can travel down by its dead weight, it is placed on the belt of the conveyor 3. Since each of the rollers 2 is composed of roller components 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d and 15o respectively different in outside diameter, it can be adapted to the form of the bottom 5 of the amusement vehicle 4. In this manner, the bottom 5 of the amusement vehicle closely contacts the belt 3, and the amusement vehicle 4 can be smoothly drawn up without slipping.

In this case, if the amusement vehicle 4 comes to a location of the rollers supported by the cushioning support mechanism 17, the rollers 2 are displaced in a cushion-like manner due to the load, with the intermediate point of the support arm 22 as the axis against the force of the spring 23 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) . Therefore, even at a location where the belt 3 of the conveyor 1 changes suddenly in height, the rollers 2 can adapt, to keep the

amusement vehicle 4 stable. Furthermore, the displacement of the rollers 2 through a cushion action can ease the impact, to reduce the discomfort felt by the passengers on the seats 9.

As described above, the cushioning support mechanism 17 allows the rollers 2 to be displaced in the direction perpendicular to the belt surface, allowing the bottom 5^ of the amusement vehicle 4 to be kept in sufficiently close contact with the belt and preventing the amusement vehicle 4 from slipping, to ensure efficient power transmission and reliable upward drawing.

Furthermore, the wear of the belt 3 and the rollers 2 due to difference in circumference can be decreased, and the overload to the drive source can also be prevented.

The present invention as described above allows the amusement vehicle to be smoothly drawn up to a location where it can travel down by its dead weight. Furthermore, the present invention assures simple maintenance since no chain is used, and it is free from the displeasure caused by the peculiar mechanical noise of previous drawing up mechanisms.

Moreover, because contact between the amusement vehicle and the belt is maximized, due to the rollers, respectively composed of plural roller components, and the cushion support, unstable travel can be prevented.