TECHNICAL FIELD

Described herein are methods and apparatus to move an object through space. More specifically, described herein are aspects of launch design, harness design, means of attachment of a harness to a super structure at launch and aspects around webbing design. Applications for the aspects described may be in adventure recreation, object transport through space generally and emergency evacuations

BACKGROUND

An aim of some adventure rides and object movement is to have the rider or object move through space in a controlled manner. Movement of the rider or object can be at high speeds and/or high acceleration or deceleration creating unique forces on the rider or object. Generally, movement of the rider or object is constrained by the system dynamics such as gravity effects on the rider or object in addition to spring constants and movement in horizontal and vertical planes.

An example of an adventure ride is the zipline bungy system described in patent publication number WO2016/133408 which combines the features of a zipline and bungy (vertical drop). The bungy cord at one end travels in a generally horizontal plane along a suspended zipline while the rider is attached to the opposing end of the bungy cord and drops generally vertically below the zipline. Optionally the rider may be energised at launch to further introduce a catapult action as well from a stored energy source such as a bungy cord.

Other examples of adventure recreation devices include zipline systems generally where a rider or object moves in a fixed direction along a zipline which is typically located above the rider and defines a path of movement of there rider suspended thereon about a generally horizontal plane.

US2014/0360398 describes a zipline system where a rider is suspended below the zipline in a standing positon, the rider standing on a foil and the rider using body movements to control the foil axes of pitch, roll and yaw.

US 6,360,669 describes a zipline system allowing a rider to move down a vectored zipline turning about pylons located at intervals down a slope. Riders may either sit as they ride along or lie in a prone facedown position, in both cases being suspended from the zipline.

US 9,120,023 describes a rail system where a rider moves along an overhead rail following a path defined by the rail. The rider lies in a prone or seated position suspended from a trolley that moves along the rail. The rider appears to have some form of harness however in all examples shown, the rider's weight is also at least in part carried by a decorative item that the rider lies or sits on, examples including a leaf, a broom, a stick, a turtle, a fly, a rocket, a makeshift automobile, a bird or a dragon. Another common art item in adventure recreation is that of a bungy jump where the rider/user is attached is a bungy cord about their ankles and they jump from a platform where their fall is arrested by the bungy cord as the bungy cord reaches a maximum extension length.

Riders generally wear a harness for safety and comfort in adventure recreation rides. Typically harnesses are configured to only permit riders to adopt a single position once fastened to a ride member or structure. Typically, the harness is designed once fitted to cater for a seated position or a prone position. In the case of a bungy jump, the harness will only hold the rider about their ankles and provide no support about other parts of the body. Generally, adventure recreation harnesses when fitted only permit the user to adopt the ride position and do not allow movement between non-ride positions such as a pre-ride position or other alternative ride positions.

Harnesses used for other non-adventure recreation ride applications like rock climbing typically only comprise a waist band and leg loops. Fall safety harness may comprise leg loops and a shoulder strap arrangement but only connecting to a single point hence not holding the rider in different positions or not restricting the degree of movement possible between positions.

Where a rider is to travel in a prone, face down position, in art harness systems the rider may be fitted to a harness by use of a table or other flat elongate item that the rider lies on while the ride personnel fit and attach the harness. The table (see item 1 in Figure 1 for example) is used to retain the rider 2 weight and to lift the rider 2 above a super structure. Use of items like tables is cumbersome and introduces possible snag items about the launch area.

An alternative harness system shown in Figure 2 is sometimes used in zip line applications to place a rider in a prone position. The alternative harness 4 uses two connection points 5, 6 on the rider's 7 body, the connection points 5, 6 being fixed to a zipline 8 by the ride personnel 9 lifting the rider 7 into position. This is not ideal since repetitive lifting is undesirable from a health and safety viewpoint and typically requires the presence of at least two ride personnel.

One current art harness 10 for prone "superman" position riding shown in Figure 4, is very bulky and requires significant set up time prior to launch which directly impacts rider throughput, complexity of set up and the risk for mistakes to be made. Further, this style of prone harness is difficult to walk in hence riders cannot use the harness for example to move between activities or between rides and must be removed from the harness at the conclusion of each ride.

For art devices, there is little versatility to address different height/weight riders. At loading, for example, shorter riders must step up onto a raised platform to be connected to the zipline. Further, the launch area is designed in the art as a long platform inclined downwards, so that small riders depart at the top of the incline and tall riders depart at the bottom resulting in an elongated launch area.

At landing and retrieval, art systems also are not ideal for addressing rider height/weight differences. At landing, riders are commonly left hanging in the air after landing and braking, or may be stopped in front of a landing platform and hauled in by the ride personnel. Landing platforms will commonly have an upward incline that sees taller riders landing first (at the bottom of the incline) and shorter riders landing later (at the top of the incline).

Inclined launch/landing ramps are undesirable for several reasons:

• The gradient of the incline must be suited for riders and operators to walk up or down. For a 1:10 incline (steep) pedestrian ramp, a 50 cm range of rider heights would require a 5 m long ramp which creates larger structures, in turn increasing costs and complicating design, manufacture and operation;

• Ride operators need to move significant distances to launch and recover riders of different heights, which complicates their fall arrest systems and handling of trolleys and

lanyards/webbing;

• Ride operator safety is compromised on inclined ramps, particularly in wet or icy weather where platform inclination can comprise safe footing;

• Taller riders standing at the top of the incline may be able to reach the zipline and trolley and any associated hazards (finger traps, hot brakes etc.) which is not ideal;

• On landing, riders could fail to stand up on an upwards incline, or could fall backwards and roll back up the zipline due to the cable catenary;

• Tall riders will take longer to clear from the landing zone, impacting on rider throughput;

• Where a control system is used to monitor the start and finish of a zipline ride, these start and finish points will not be clearly defined, and ride cycle time will depend on rider height;

• Where a ride operator is not present, riders will be unable to unload themselves.

Other important aspects of adventure rides and object movement comprise:

Safety at launch and subsequent stages including avoidance of obstacles, snag points, management of force directions and energy release at launch (art systems can have lines of forces into the super structure as shown by force line arrow F2 in Figure 3 and release forces should ideally be in a direction away from super structure and ride personnel in force line arrow FI in Figure 3.

With respect to rider safety and comfort, reference also needs to be made to the "G" system of units and forces that the human body can address in comfort details of which are described in the reference below and Figure 5:

Avoiding jolt effects on the user. Jolt refers to a sudden or abrupt shake or push that is associated in adventure ride applications with a sudden acceleration. The human body and indeed many objects are only able to withstand a degree of jolt before harm may result. As a consequence managing jolt particularly at launch is of importance;

Keeping the harness size manageable, non-bulky and easy to put on and take off;

Ensuring that the system particularly around launch is efficient and speeds rider throughput; Adjustability of the harness and launch system to adapt to different sized and weight riders; Avoiding the fixed connection points in art harnesses that tend to either pinch the outside or inside of the rider's legs depending on body shape. This design constraint is described further below and with reference to Figure 15.

Further aspects and advantages of the improvements in object movement through space will become apparent from the ensuing description that is given by way of example only. SUMMARY

Described herein are aspects of launch design, harness design, means of attachment of a harness to a super structure at launch and aspects around webbing design. Applications for the aspects described may be in adventure recreation, object transport through space generally and emergency evacuations.

In a first aspect, there is provided an adventure ride apparatus or object movement apparatus comprising:

a launch rail linked to a super structure, the launch rail being located above a rider or object at launch;

a trolley that moves along the launch rail; and

a rider harness, the harness at least partly connected via at least one connection point to the trolley prior to launch of the rider or object;

wherein the trolley moves along the launch rail until at least one stop is reached, the trolley only moving beyond the stop when launch occurs and thereafter travelling off the launch rail with the rider.

In a second aspect, there is provided a harness configured to allow a rider to assume a seated position at rest and allow controlled transfer into and subsequent retention in a second body orientation, the harness comprising:

at least one primary connection point to the upper half of the rider's body, the primary connection points on the harness being configured to allow for at least two rider positions being a first rider standing or rider seated position and a second position in which the rider's body orientation is held in a prone position; and

at least one secondary connection point on the harness configured to allow re-orientation of the rider to the second position in concert with a launch rail and trolley movement thereon;

the harness being configured such that, in use, when the trolley is connected to the harness and moves forward on the launch rail the rider is moved from the first rider position to the second position.

In a third aspect, there is provided a rider harness linked to a suspended member above the rider via webbing, wherein the webbing:

comprises multiple webbing straps fitted to the suspended member at one end of each webbing strap and, at the opposing end of each strap, having a number of connection points along a portion of each webbing strap that the rider harness attaches to, the connection points accommodating the tallest to the shortest rider, the appropriate connection point on the webbing corresponding to a rider's height; or, comprises a set of standard fixed length webbing straps permanently fitted to the suspended member and, at the point of initial harness fitting, webbing straps are fitted to the harnesses of the rider, the webbing strap used being varied to suit the rider height based on selection of an appropriate webbing strap length commensurate with the rider height.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of launching a rider, including:

a. fitting a harness to the rider,

b. connecting the harness via webbing to a trolley while the rider is in a standing position, c. taking the rider's weight through the webbing,

d. moving the rider to either a seated or a prone position, and

e. launching the rider.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a method of launching a rider wearing a harness substantially as described above, the method including moving the rider between the first and second positions and launching the rider in the second position.

Selected advantages of the above aspects may include:

Preventing the rider being close at launch to the ride super structure and personnel;

Holding the force above and in front of the launch platform thereby removing lines of force across the launch platform and hence improving the safety of riders and operators;

Allowing for multiple connection points to the rider and the ability to reorientate the rider whilst the rider remains in a harness and with minimal involvement of the ride personnel; Reduced weight and bulk harness systems;

The ability to cater for varying height riders within a compact launch site and recovery of riders from a single floor level.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the launch design, harness design, means of attachment of a harness to a super structure at launch and aspects around landing and recovery will become apparent from the following description that is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a prior art adventure recreation ride where the rider lies on a table during harness fitting;

Figure 2 illustrates a prior art adventure recreation ride where the rider is man-handled into position by the ride personnel;

Figure 3 illustrates a prior art adventure recreation ride employing a stored energy function a launch where force directions are not all away from the super structure;

Figure 4 illustrates a prior art adventure recreation ride prone position harness and associated

webbing;

Figure 5 illustrates a diagram describing G force, jolt and the force lines that may be imposed on a human body;

Figure 6 illustrates a person in a first standing position attached to the launch rail prior to launch (Figure 6a) and a second prone position ready for launch (Figure 6b) with the rider moved forwards of the launch site super structure;

Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment of spreader bar and single piece tubular webbing (Figure 7A) and in Figure 7B an example of how the spreader bar links to the harness that a rider wears via padded shoulder connections;

Figure 8 illustrates the way that shock absorbing elements may be integrated into the spreader bar assembly, in Figure 8A between the spreader bar ends and shoulder linkages, Figure 8B between the spreader bar and the overhead trolley on which the spreader bar is attached, and Figure 8C in the line of compression of the spreader bar itself;

Figure 9 illustrates one embodiment of launch assembly incorporating a launch rail as may be used where an energised release occurs;

Figure 10 illustrates a detail view of the launch rail configuration according to one embodiment where all connections are mounted on the launch rail to ensure an accurate load cell reading;

Figure 11 illustrates an embodiment of how an electromagnet lock may be used, Figure 11A showing the release mechanism locked and energised and Figure 11B showing the release mechanism unlocked and open;

Figure 12 illustrates the dual release (front and rear) configuration, in Figure 12A with both release mechanisms closed and in Figure 12B showing the front mechanism open;

Figure 13 illustrates an example of a harness that may be used for low acceleration launch and the location of webbing connection points;

Figure 14 illustrates the above harness and the connection points used for a seated configuration;

Figure 15 illustrates the above harness and the connection points used for a prone configuration;

Figure 16 illustrates an example of a floating thigh ring front view top and rear view bottom that may be used in the above harness embodiment;

Figure 17 illustrates a schematic of a pre-launch process;

Figure 18 illustrates an example of adjustable webbing straps to cater for varying height riders;

Figure 19 illustrates an example of a harness that may be used for a high acceleration launch; Figure 20 illustrates the leg reach envelope for a tall rider (Figure 20A) and a shorter rider (Figure 20B);

Figure 21 illustrates in a more detail and schematic of how the rider may be attached to an overhead launch rail and can transition whilst connected from a standing to a seated position;

Figure 22 illustrates how the rider may be moved from a standing to prone position;

Figure 23 illustrates how the rider may be moved from a standing to prone position using a spreader bar above the rider's head when in the prone position

Figure 24 illustrates a prior art example of a spreader bar configuration; and

Figure 25 illustrates further examples 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D showing the connection points and ways that the rider harness may be attached to an overhead trolley.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As noted above, described are aspects of launch design, harness design, means of attachment of a harness to a super structure at launch and aspects around landing and recovery. Applications for the aspects described may be in adventure recreation, object transport through space generally and emergency evacuations.

For the purposes of this specification, the term 'about' or 'approximately' and grammatical variations thereof mean a quantity, level, degree, value, number, frequency, percentage, dimension, size, amount, weight or length that varies by as much as 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1% to a reference quantity, level, degree, value, number, frequency, percentage, dimension, size, amount, weight or length.

The term 'substantially' or grammatical variations thereof refers to at least about 50%, for example 75%, 85%, 95% or 98%.

The term 'comprise ¹ and grammatical variations thereof shall have an inclusive meaning - i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements.

The term 'rider' or grammatical variations thereof refers to human beings but may also be other animals or objects generally. As should be appreciated, the improvements described are not limited solely to adventure recreation and movement of people.

The term 'ride personnel' or 'operator' or grammatical variations thereof may be used interchangeably and refer to people that may assist a rider prior to launch, during a ride and post a ride.

The term 'lanyard' and 'webbing' or grammatical variations thereof may be used interchangeably generally referring to an elongated strap or similar elongated element. Ride apparatus incorporating a launch rail

In a first aspect, there is provided an adventure ride apparatus or object movement apparatus comprising:

a launch rail linked to a super structure, the launch rail being located above a rider or object at launch;

a trolley that moves along the launch rail; and

a rider harness, the harness at least partly connected via at least one connection point to the trolley prior to launch of the rider or object;

wherein the trolley moves along the launch rail until at least one stop is reached, the trolley only moving beyond the stop when launch occurs and thereafter travelling off the launch rail with the rider.

Trolley

The trolley may be a slide, a chassis with wheels or other element that moves along and is directed in movement by the rail. Typically the trolley comprises flanges or wheels that mate with a complementary flange on the launch rail.

The trolley moves along the launch rail generally in concert with a rider when the rider is attached to the trolley. The trolley may be slightly forward of, or slightly behind, the rider when attached to the trolley but, as noted, is generally in a common alignment. This may be useful to allow the rider to attach to the trolley at a point distant to the launch site and then move forwards with the trolley to the launch site. This may also allow the rider to be tethered to a safety point as they approach the launch site. This may further allow the process of launch preparation to commence at an earlier point than at the final launch site thereby potentially increasing rider throughput.

Multiple trolleys may be attached to the launch rail at least one of which is attached to a rider or object at launch. Multiple launch rails may also be used with one or multiple trolleys. For ease of description herein, a single trolley per rider and single launch rail is described however this should not be seen as limiting.

Trolley movement beyond a stop may occur manually or automatically when triggered. For example, a rider, ride personnel or control system may actuate triggering of trolley launch or even trolley movement pre-launch. For example, the stop may be located at or about a launch rail termination point and launch itself actuated by release from this final stop. Alternatively, the stop may be at a point prior to the final launch position, for example to hold a trolley and rider tethered to the trolley in place prior to a launch area.

The launch rail and trolley may be attached together via at least one quick release mechanism. The at least one quick release mechanism may comprise at least one electromagnet. Other options may be a standard magnet, a mechanical latch system or a chemical latch system. Electromagnets may be desirable as they are easily controlled between off or on positions and they do not wear or have moving parts like a mechanical system might. Whilst electromagnets are useful, they may be used in conjunction with other release mechanisms like a mechanical latch or latches for added safety.

Multiple quick release mechanisms may be used at launch. This may be for safety to provide redundancy should one quick release mechanism fail or unwanted release occur. This may also be helpful to reduce the jolt force on a rider, discussed further below.

Where multiple quick release mechanisms are used, the quick release mechanisms (e.g. electromagnets) may release at staggered intervals and not simultaneously. An example of a dual electromagnet release system is illustrated in Figure 12A and Figure 12B where the rider 80, pre-launch (see Figure 12A), is attached to the support structure 81 via a launch rail 82 at a forward 83 and rear 84 release mechanism. On release (as shown in Figure 12B), the forward 83 electromagnet initially is switched off releasing the rider 80 from the forward release 83 and then, as tension increases on the rider 80, the rear electromagnet 84 is released. This dual release mechanism absorbs some of the energy at release and therefore makes the ride more comfortable to the user 80 partly delaying the onset of acceleration and hence jolt force. The delay between the forward 83 and rear 84 release mechanisms switching off may be very small, for example generally less than 10, or 9, or 8, or 7, or 6, or 5, or 4, or 3, or 2, or 1 second(s).

Where electromagnets are used for release, a secondary locking mechanism on the launch rail (see Figure 11A and Figure 11B) may be used which only disengages when a control system establishes that it is safe to release the rider. This is described with reference to Figures 11A and 11B further below.

Launch Rail

The launch rail may be attached to a ride super structure and positioned at a height that will clear the head of the tallest rider. That is, there is no need to adjust the launch rail position to cater for different height riders. The launch rail may be installed at a height to suit the largest of riders.

The launch rail may be a rigid structure made from steel or other structural material and shaped to allow movement along the rail elongated length yet prevent and/or limit movement in a direction orthogonal to the rail elongated length.

The launch rail length is sufficient to allow a rider to be positioned at the launch platform ready for launch. The launch rail may extend back from the launch site. In this embodiment, the rail extension rear of the launch site may be used to queue trolleys for the next rider and potentially also queue riders for the next launch.

The launch rail may extend forwards of the launch area super structure so as to allow positioning of the rider once prepared for launch to a point forward of the launch super structure. Figure 6A and Figure 6B illustrate this embodiment. In Figure 6A the rider 20 is standing within the superstructure (arrow 21) attached via a harness 22 to a trolley 23, the trolley 23 linked to a rail 24. A bungy cord 25 (shown untensioned) is linked to the rail 24 and indirectly to the rider 20. Figure 6B shows the rider 20 moved to a pre-launch position in a prone position and moved forwards of the superstructure 21. Locating the rider to a point forward of the super structure 21 may be useful for safety to keep the rider 20 and associated moving parts, e.g. the harness 22, distant to the super structure 21 and staff and thereby avoid possible snags, danger to ride personnel and so on. Rider's that panic or react without consideration may inadvertently hold ride personnel or parts if not held at distance at the point of release.

The launch rail may be angled upwards about the launch area. This may be a desired configuration for a stored energy launch (described further below). The degree of upward angle from a horizontal plane may be from 1, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6, or 7, or 8, or 9, or 10, or 11, or 12, or 13, or 14, or 15, or 16, or

17, or 18, or 19, or 20, or 21, or 22, or 23, or 24, or 25, or 26, or 27, or 28, or 29, or 30, or 31, or 32, or 33, or 34, or 35, or 36, or 37, or 38, or 39, or 40 or 41, or 42, or 43, or 44, or 45 degrees. The degree of upward angle from a horizontal plane may range from 1-45, or 1-30, or 1-20, or 1-10 degrees.

In an alternative embodiment, the launch rail may be angled downwards about the launch area. This may be a desired configuration for a gravity launch (described further below). Downward angling may be useful in this configuration to urge forward movement of the trolley and attached rider to the launch point and, post release, off the launch rail. The degree of downward angle from a horizontal plane may be from 1, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6, or 7, or 8, or 9, or 10, or 11, or 12, or 13, or 14, or 15, or 16, or 17, or

18, or 19, or 20, or 21, or 22, or 23, or 24, or 25, or 26, or 27, or 28, or 29, or 30, or 31, or 32, or 33, or 34, or 35, or 36, or 37, or 38, or 39, or 40 or 41, or 42, or 43, or 44, or 45 degrees. The degree of downward angle from a horizontal plane may range from 1-45, or 1-30, or 1-20, or 1-10 degrees.

In the above embodiments, the launch rail may be angled upwards or downwards relative to a horizontal plane about the launch area such as about the final 1, or 0.9, or 0.8, or 0.7, or 0.6, or 0.5, or 0.4, or 0.3, or 0.2, or 0.1 metres of the launch rail before the launch rail terminates and the rider is released from the launch rail. Other portions of the launch rail if used may not be angled i.e. may be flat or angled as desired in varying orientations to the final section of angled launch rail.

Rider Connection

The trolley and rider connection may be formed using webbing or lanyards. The webbing may be attached at one end to the trolley and at the other end to at least one fixed point about the rider's body on a rider harness. The webbing may link to the rider about multiple points about the rider's body.

Stored Energy Launch

As may be appreciated, there are two scenarios at launch that may occur, being either a stored energy launch or a gravity launch. One scenario is where the rider is connected to a source of stored energy prior to launch providing an additional force post launch beyond that purely of gravity. When launch occurs, the rider is pulled actively from the launch site, the movement typically also being influenced by gravity. In this embodiment, the source of stored energy may be a tensioned resilient member, one example being at least one tensioned bungy cord. The tensioned cord pulls the rider from the launch site in this embodiment in a generally horizontal plane, often with high energy and potential G force and acceleration.

The source of stored energy prior to launch may be held on the launch rail. For example, one end of the tensioned resilient member may be attached and tensioned on the launch rail. The rider is indirectly attached to the tensioned resilient member. The force of the tensioned resilient member is only imposed on the rider when release occurs from the launch site and the tension force then transfers from the launch rail to the rider. In this embodiment, the launch rail holds the source of stored energy force above and in front of the launch area and forward of the rider or object prior to launch. An advantage of this force arrangement is that all moving parts and forces are directed away from the launch area (force line FI shown in Figure 3) and hence, when release occurs, the rider and other moving parts move away from the launch area. No force lines are present that would urge the rider or other moving parts into the super structure or launch area. This avoids some safety issues associated with prior art systems where for example, the source of stored energy may be a resilient member that on release, springs back into the launch area.

Jolt Management

Without any sort of resilient damping, the rider would experience a sudden change in force from zero or no force to around 3.5G almost instantaneously. This is undesirable as humans cannot comfortably withstand this sort of sudden force change. To manipulate the speed of transition in force applied to the rider, a resilient damper is used to control the first approximately 0.5metres of ride and absorb a small amount of the force imposed sufficient to slow the rate of acceleration experienced by the rider to around 3.5G to a rate under lOOOG/s (ideally under 500G/s). A single spring for example may not be not suitable for this since a single spring may introduce a vibratory wave effect. Instead a bias with dampening effects is desirable to avoid a return and vibratory end effect. The resilient damper is attached between the rider and launch rail and is lightly pre-tensioned before launch. This pre tensioning may take up some or all of the slack in the connections between the rider and the launch rail. The resilient damper may be a spring damper system. The resilient damper system may be configured to absorb a substantial amount of the initial energy at launch and may then return to an un-tensioned state in a controlled manner without causing a vibratory wave like a single spring.

In one embodiment at least one relaxed shock absorbing element may be inserted between the trolley and the rider. For example, the at least one relaxed shock absorbing element may be inserted between the source of stored energy if present and the rider. Alternatively, the at least one relaxed shock absorbing element may be inserted between the trolley and rider. The at least one relaxed shock absorbing element may be a damper or damper system. The damper system may be a spring or springs or other biasing mechanism(s). On launch, the at least one relaxed shock absorbing element may deform to at least partially slow down the rate of acceleration that the rider or object experiences a Jolt (g) within predefined limits.

Load Sensor

At least one load sensor may be located on the launch rail to monitor the onset of force for a launch - see Figure 10 for an example of how a load sensor 66 may be integrated into the launch rail design (described further below). The at least one load sensor may be a load cell. The load sensor may have a predetermined force operating range. If a force outside of the predetermined range is measured such as where the rider is too heavy or an energy source is too high, the load cell may not allow trolley movement to the launch position and/or may cause a secondary locking mechanism to operate prevent quick release actuation of the rider to occur. The load sensor may comprise visual and/or audible notification to the ride personnel around ride safety and for example, may flash red lights and/or beep until all loadings are measured as being within safe limits.

Harness

In a second aspect, there is provided a harness configured to allow a rider to assume a seated position at rest and allow controlled transfer into and subsequent retention in a second body orientation, the harness comprising:

at least one primary connection point to the upper half of the rider's body, the primary connection points on the harness being configured to allow for at least two rider positions being a first rider standing or rider seated position and a second position in which the rider's body orientation is held in a prone position; and

at least one secondary connection point on the harness configured to allow re-orientation of the rider to the second position in concert with a launch rail and trolley movement thereon;

the harness being configured such that, in use, when the trolley is connected to the harness and moves forward on the launch rail the rider is moved from the first rider position to the second position.

Positions

Movement between positions may in one embodiment occur at a launch site pre-launch. The aim may be to transfer a rider from a standing or seated position to a prone riding position. Ideally this may be completed with minimal interaction from the ride personnel and without need for tables or other temporary supporting structures. This embodiment is described in more detail below suffice to say that the rider themselves may be able to reorientate themselves during a ride or at the end of a ride. One example may be that if a rider having finished their ride and wanting to move from a prone to a seated position. Another example may be in an emergency rescue scenario where a rider is in a prone position looking for or moving to a rescue site and then can transfer to a seated position to effect a rescue.

Movement of the trolley along the launch rail once connected to the rider harness may re-orientate the rider between positions. Movement of the trolley causing rider reorientation may in one embodiment occur when the source of stored energy (bungy cord) is tensioned and, as this happens, the rider is drawn against the launch rail to a prone near horizontal position and simultaneously pulled out from the launch site to a pre-launch position generally forwards of the launch site prior to release.

Reorientation of the rider's body position via this mechanism may occur without any significant input by the ride personnel. That is to say, the ride personnel need only check the harness and webbing and then movement of the trolley along an overhead launch rail causes reorientation of the rider between positions. Movement forwards of the trolley may also be actuated remotely by the ride personnel which ensures their safety by being distant to the rider and surrounding assembly.

Movement of the trolley generally backwards of the launch area or the reverse to the above may cause rider re-orientation to a non-prone position. The non-prone position may be a seated position or a standing position. The standing or seated position may be used when the rider is at rest and the second orientation optimised position may be used when the rider is travelling at speed and under acceleration.

The rider 130 may, whilst connected to a launch rail 131, move from a standing 132 to seated 133 position as illustrated in Figure 21. A second connection 134 about the rider shoulder(s) may be used to control rider 130 inclination. Figure 22 shows a similar scenario using a forked lanyard 138 to provide waist and shoulder support for a standing 135 to prone position 136. This may be a typical scenario for a non-stored energy ride such as on a zipline or zipline and bungy cord ride but with movement being driven primarily through gravity. Figure 23 shows how the rider 130 may be moved from a standing 135 to prone 136 position using a spreader bar 137 described further below above the rider's 130 head when in the prone 136 position. As may be appreciated, movement between positions may not be restricted solely from a standing to prone position or standing to seated or seated to prone position and all three positions may be supported and allowed for via the harness and webbing.

The rider when in the orientation optimised position may be held by the harness in an orientation to cause rider acceleration largely in the (safest) Z+ direction (this position is explained further in the earlier described table and in the earlier described table and in Figure 5). This orientation optimised position is termed elsewhere in this specification as a 'prone' or face down position, the rider's body being largely elongated and flat. Reference to prone in this case may not be with the rider's face pointing fully downward. The inventors have found that the ideal angle may instead be slightly inclined, that is with the rider being around 10, or 11, or 12, or 13, or 14, or 15, or 16, or 17, or 18, or 19, or 20, or 21, or 22, or 23, or 24, or 25, or 26, or 27, or 28, or 29, or 30, or 31, or 32, or 33, or 34, or 35 degrees head up relative to a horizontal plane instead of being in a purely prone (0 degrees relative to a horizontal plane) position. The angle of incline may be from 10-40, or 10-30, or 20-30 degrees. The reason for this angle may be to enhance rider safety, particularly when the rider is pre-energised via a stored energy source as this distributes the force loading about the body in a safer and more comfortable manner. The slight inclination also allows the rider to look forwards more comfortably and user experience is that this angle is not overly noticeable to the rider. The rider typically perceives they are in a fully prone position, an experience that was unexpected yet useful to the overall harness and system design. Stored Energy System Harness

An example of a stored energy system harness is shown in Figure 19 and described further below. A stored energy system in the context of this aspect refers to a launch scenario where the rider immediately post launch is subjected to forces beyond gravity. For example, as noted above, the system may incorporate a source of stored energy such as a tensioned bungy cord and, on release from the launch site, the rider experiences a force pull imposed by tension force in the source of stored energy.

For example, the rider may be pulled from the launch site in a generally horizontal plane via the bungy cord. This additional energy source beyond gravity may impose a sudden and considerable acceleration on the rider that the harness in this scenario must address to protect the rider.

The harness 110 described above may comprise primary 111 and secondary 112 connection points. The primary 111 connection points may be located about the shoulder region of the rider. At least two primary 111 connection points may be used, each point located on each side of the harness 110. The secondary 112 connection points may be provided about the lower half of the rider's body. The lower half of the rider's body may in one embodiment refer to the rider's lower body and legs. Specifically, the lower half of the rider's body may be about the rider's knees. The at least one secondary 112 connection point may be tethered to the overhead launch rail to a point located generally behind the rider. The at least one secondary 112 connection point may be at least one cuff. The at least one cuff may be located above the rider's knees. The at least one cuff may incorporate a quick release mechanism. In one embodiment, the quick release mechanism may be a ferritic plate that can be held with an

electromagnet although many other quick release mechanisms may be used such as mechanical and chemical fastening systems.

The primary and secondary connections of the harness may be mounted to the trolley or indirectly to the launch rail. Mounting may be direct where for example webbing extends from the connection point to the trolley. Mounting may alternatively be indirect where webbing extends from the connection point(s) to an intermediate member between the harness and trolley. The intermediate member may in one embodiment be a spreader bar as described further below.

Non-Stored Energy Harness

For non-stored energy source launches e.g. gravity driven launches such as zip lines the acceleration on the rider is generally lower than for a stored energy launch. This allows for use of a lighter harness design, which may have advantageous pricing and increased flexibility of use. There are numerous applications for a harness that can be worn for long periods of time, which is comfortable to walk in, and can be connected in a number of different orientations/used for a number of activities.

This embodiment describes a harness and launch scenario with reference to Figure 13, Figure 14 and Figure 15. This embodiment could be adapted to stored energy launches although; it is the inventor's experience that this embodiment is most suitable for non-stored energy launches e.g. zipline or other low acceleration launch scenarios where gravity is the only or substantially the only energy acting on the ride system.

The harness 90 in this embodiment may comprise a central fall arrest loop and eight positioning connections. The harness like the embodiment above, has a series of connection points. Specifically, as shown in Figure 13, the harness 90 comprises shoulder rings 91, a rear loop 92, waist rings 93, a front loop 94, front thigh rings 95, seating straps 96 and rear thigh rings 97. Figure 14 illustrates the circled six connection points for a seated position. These six connection points are attached to a spreader bar 30 (if used) via four lanyards (shoulder and waist rings on the same lanyard). Seating straps support the rider weight. In this embodiment the rider maintains a clear view ahead with no straps in their line of sight and a comfortable seated position is achieved from a standing position.

Figure 15 shows the four primary connection points (solid circled connections) to a trolley spreader bar 30 when the rider is in a prone position. Possible additional connections (dashed circles) may be used to attach to waist rings 93 for additional support to the rider. Using this arrangement, it is easy to transition from a standing to a prone position.

The harness may also comprise front thigh rings able to move relative to a thigh strap to allow centralising of the loading point and enhanced comfort. An example of this is shown in Figure 16, which shows the thigh rings 95 moving to either extreme of a strap 95a. This differs to a typical harness that does not allow centralising of the loading point.

A scenario of the pre-launch process is illustrated in Figure 17. A harness is fitted and checked by ride personnel A, the rider enters a queue and may have their harness checked again B. The rider is then attached to a zipline C. The rider then walks to a launch site guided by the zipline/launch rail D.

Webbing is connected between a trolley located on the launch rail and at least one of the harness connection points. Connection in this embodiment between the rider harness and trolley occurs while the rider is standing and wearing the harness. The rider can walk whilst connected to the launch rail, the trolley moving with the rider along the launch rail when the rider moves directing rider movement along the launch rail length. This scenario is useful as it allows fitting of a harness in advance of being connected to the ride components and, once connected, the rider can still move about relatively freely in a standing position or a seated position. Optionally also, the rider can be detached form the ride apparatus with the harness still fitted and move away from the ride apparatus.

The webbing comprises extension means to allow the webbing length to be adjusted to suit the rider size without needing to alter the floor height on which the rider stands. An example using extendable webbing straps is shown in Figure 18 with a tall rider (left) 100 and short rider (right) 101 and lanyard extension length 102.

Further examples showing the connection points and ways that the rider harness may be attached to an overhead trolley are shown in Figures 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D. Figure 25A shows a three lanyard prone configuration with lanyard A in dotted lines 170, lanyard B in dashed lines 171, rider connection points in circles 172 and a rigid element 173 for comfortable prone positioning. Figure 25B shows the same harness of Figure 25A in a two lanyard seated configuration with additional lanyard A 170 and B 171 stowed. Figure 25C shows how lanyards A & B (170, 171) fold away and may be stowed, for example using Velcro™ or in Figure 25D stowed via an elastic connection.

Spreader Bar

The comfort of riding in a prone position such as that used in a stored energy ride or optionally in a non- stored energy ride can be improved by spreading the connection points to the trolley forwards to rear and/or side to side to provide more vertical support at the harness connection points to the rider. This avoids an uncomfortable "crushing" effect where the rider's weight is acting to compress as well as lift the rider.

Current art is to use multiple zipline trolleys (Figures 1 and 2) to achieve this spreading effect on the rider or alternatively to use a bulky spreader assembly 200 illustrated in Figure 24 to achieve this spreading effect. Neither art configuration is desirable since they increase the complexity and cost of the system.

The inventors found that fitting a rigid spreader element between lanyards/webbing intermediate the trolley and harness can provide the same increase in comfort from a single connection point with a less bulky assembly than art devices that do not use a spreader bar.

The harness may therefore further comprise a spreader bar assembly with a plurality of webbing linking the primary connection points on the harness to the spreader bar assembly and at least one further linkage to the trolley and source of stored energy if present.

The spreader bar assembly during launch and flight may be located generally above the upper half of the rider's body. The spreader bar may be located generally above the rider's head assuming the rider is in a prone position during the ride.

The spreader bar may be further configured to keep the webbing and any webbing endings buckles or strap parts away from the rider's head and ears during the ride. As may be appreciated, loose items such a flapping strap endings may be hazardous during a ride when under acceleration.

The spreader bar may comprise a rigid elongated element with webbing straps extending from each distal end of the rigid elongated element linking to the harness connection points.

The spreader bar may be configured so that the rigid elongated element is substantially under compression force with minimal if any bending force.

The spreader bar 30 may in one embodiment comprise a singular piece of tubular webbing 31 (shown for example in Figure 7A) that contains a rigid bar 32 in the tubular webbing 31 as the rigid elongated element. Loops 33 sewn into the webbing 31 create linkage points to the rigid bar 32. The rigid bar 32 and associated connections 33 may be stowed parallel to adjacent webbing to keep them out of the way when not required.

Webbing 40 connected to the primary connection point(s) 41 e.g. about the rider's shoulders may comprise a central webbing connection 42 to provide tensile strength, which feeds through tubular padding 43. The tubular padding 43 may be held in position with large diameter plastic heat shrink. The illustration of Figure 7B shows this embodiment in further detail. This structure 42 may have sufficient stiffness to hold the spreader bar 30 and connection hardware e.g. carabiners 44 away from the rider's face and ears, while also being soft and rounded in the event this part or parts 42 impact the rider inadvertently.

Shock Absorbing/Harness Jolt Management

The harness, webbing or spreader bar (if used) may further comprise at least one shock absorbing element shown by arrow 50 in Figures 8A, 8B and 8C, the shock absorbing element 50 controlling the onset of acceleration ('G' or 'g' force). This is noted above to some extent but elaborated on below.

The at least one shock absorbing element 50 may be incorporated:

internal to the webbing 42 at the primary connection points 41 on the harness either side of the spreader bar 30 (Figure 8A);

in the rigid elongate section of the spreader bar 30 itself assuming a spreader bar 30 is used (Figure 8C);

between the spreader bar 30 and the bungy end connection (not shown) in a stored energy application using a spreader bar 30 (Figure 8B);

and via combinations of the above.

One example of a combination may be in a stored energy application where the rigid elongated section of the spreader bar incorporates a shock absorbing element and where the spreader bar and the bungy end connection also incorporate shock absorbing elements.

Adjustable Lanyards/Webbing

As noted above, webbing may be connected directly or indirectly between a trolley located on the launch rail and at least one of the harness connection points.

In one embodiment, the webbing may comprise extension means to allow the webbing length to be adjusted to suit the rider size without needing to alter the floor height on which the rider stands as shown in Figure 18 and described above.

Riders are typically connected to trolleys, bungy cords or similar by means of one or more lanyards (referred to as webbing hereafter), often with a sewn webbing construction. Lanyard designs and configurations are proposed below that allow all riders to launch and land at the same floor height, eliminating the problems described above. The example configurations are based on a starting from a single connection (spreader) bar that is mounted at approximately shoulder width, perpendicular to the direction of travel.

In a third aspect, there is provided a rider harness linked to a suspended member above the rider via webbing, wherein the webbing: comprises multiple webbing straps fitted to the suspended member at one end of each webbing strap and, at the opposing end of each strap, having a number of connection points along a portion of each webbing strap that the rider harness attaches to, the connection points accommodating the tallest to the shortest rider, the appropriate connection point on the webbing corresponding to a rider's height; or

comprises a set of standard fixed length webbing straps permanently fitted to the suspended member and, at the point of initial harness fitting, webbing straps are fitted to the harnesses of the rider, the webbing strap used being varied to suit the rider height based on selection of an appropriate webbing strap length commensurate with the rider height.

In the case of webbing straps with a number of connection points, the connection points on the webbing may be colour coded to match markings on the harnesses that indicate the height of the rider and hence the correct connection point to use for a given height of rider.

The webbing strap lengths in the case of standard fixed length webbing straps may be semi-permanent in length (for example fitted with a tool).

The webbing straps once fitted to the rider may remain on the harness of the rider for multiple rides as required and the rider need not be removed from the harness between rides. In part this may be due to the fact that the rider position may be reorientated when not riding to a standing or seated position..

Where a pre-launch area is used to fit harnesses, once the harnesses of one or more riders are fitted with appropriate extensions, the one or more riders can be connected to fixed length webbing on the launch rail while standing, and transitioned to either a seated or prone position at the point of launch.

In these configurations the clearance envelope of tall and short riders is similar as illustrated in Figure 20A and Figure 20B. Figure 20A shows an example arm reach envelope 120 and leg reach envelope 121 for a tall rider 122. Figure 20B shows an example arm reach envelope 123 and leg reach envelope 124 for a shorter rider 125. The arm reach envelope is smaller for a shorter rider 125 while the leg reach envelope is similar for both tall 122 and short 125 riders. This may avoid the need to cater for varying height riders by altering the structure height or by having an angled or stepped launch or landing area. Angled or stepped launch or landing areas can be a source of falls, slips and unsure footing undesirable when working at heights.

Methods

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of launching a rider, including:

a. fitting a harness to the rider,

b. connecting the harness via webbing to a trolley while the rider is in a standing position, c. taking the rider's weight through the webbing,

d. moving the rider to either a seated or a prone position, and e. launching the rider.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a method of launching a rider wearing a harness substantially as described above, the method including moving the rider between the first and second positions and launching the rider in the second position.

The method above may include moving the trolley along the launch rail, and wherein the movement of the trolley along the launch rail re-orientates the rider between the first and second positions.

Movement between the first and second positions may occur when a source of stored energy is tensioned and, as this happens, the rider is drawn against the launch rail to the second position and pulled out from the launch site to a pre-launch position generally forwards of the launch site prior to launching of the rider. Movement of the trolley generally backwards of the launch area may cause the rider re-orientate to a non-prone seated position or a standing position. The rider prone position may have the rider's face pointing slightly inclined with the rider being around 10-40 degrees head up relative to a horizontal plane.

Applications

As may be appreciated, the above apparatus and methods may be used in adventure recreation devices. The apparatus and methods may also be used for a variety of other applications such as emergency evacuation devices, general movement of objects through space and accessing apparatus and/or land forms between distal points. Note that reference is made to flight or launch and attachment to a bungy cord and the like. Reference to these applications should not be seen as limiting as for example, the same harness, release mechanisms, pre-energising and so on may be used for alternative ride apparatus such as ziplines, roller coasters and so on. Using the zipline example, the rider may be launched along a zipline, the rider wearing the harness described above, loaded from a super structure in a similar manner to that described above, subjected to a gravity or stored energy launch and so on, the rider in this example being guided along a zipline overhead (perhaps with the harness attached to a zipline carriage or trolley). For a roller coaster or zipline embodiment, the rider need not be a personal or animal but may instead be objects or goods to be conveyed from one location to another e.g. as a transport means between different locations. The locations may be on land, from water to land or land to water or water to water e.g., between ships.

The apparatus and methods described offer a wide variety of advantages over the art. Examples of selected advantages are described below in no particular order by way of illustration:

• The overhead launch rail and spreader bar/harness assembly allows for the rider to be moved along the launch rail prior to launch potentially out of the launch area and optimise clearance from surrounding super structure and ride personnel on release - see Figure 6A and Figure 6B. This avoids the risk of harm to ride personnel and risk of snags or obstructions from the super structure at launch;

• Holding a launch force above and in front of the launch platform removes lines of force across the launch platform and greatly improves the safety of riders and operators;

• A launch rail, in combination with an appropriate harness, can allow for multiple connection points to the rider. Where stored energy is used at launch, this allows for the rider to be orientated safely to withstand the resulting acceleration;

• Load sensor information can be used to check that the system is operating as expected - if for example a damaged stored energy source (e.g. a bungy cord) is being used to catapult a rider at launch, the load cell will detect that the spring constant of the bungy cord is too low and abort the launch. Similarly, if the load cell detects that the rider will experience an excessive launch force the control system can choose to abort the launch and alert the operator to the problem. See for example the embodiment shown in Figure 9. In this example, a rail 60 is attached to a fixed superstructure 61 and floor 62. The rail 60 is an l-section shape that receives a trolley (not shown).

A stored energy source (e.g. a bungy cord) shown by arrow 67 is held about the rail 60 end 63 about a release mechanism shown by arrow 64. A rear fixed connection 65 is located on the rail 60 and a load cell 66 located before the fixed connection 65. The load cell 66 senses loads applied to the rail 60;

• Recovery from system malfunction using a launch rail may be less hazardous to both operator and rider. The source of stored energy can be locked off at the end of the rail while the rider is recovered and be detached from the rider;

• Quick release connections to a launch rail eliminates the need for tethers that cross the launch area, and the corresponding risk of injury to riders, operators or bystanders from collisions with connection hardware. With an overhead launch rail and a stored energy source, these connection points can be designed to simply drop the rider and allow the energy source (e.g. a bungy cord, gravity) to take them out from the launch area (see Figure 10, which is a closer view of Figure 9);

• Use of electromagnets in the release mechanism can ensure a clean release that will not degrade over time due to wear. Where multiple connections to the rider are present, the release of magnets at slightly staggered intervals e.g. front electromagnet first and rear electromagnet second can further improve the orientation of the rider relative to the line of force - see Figure 11A and Figure 11B, which show a first front electromagnet assembly (arrow 70). The assembly 70 is shown in Figure 11A in a locked position with an electromagnet on an arm 71 linked to face 72. The base 73 of the arm 71 includes a shape that acts as a stop to prevent a trolley or link (not shown) on the rail 60 being released from rail 60. Figure 11B shows the release scenario where the electromagnet is switched off and the arm 71 pivots away from the face 72 which causes the arm 71 base 73 to move sufficient to allow a previously blocked link (not shown) to move out and off (arrow 74) the rail 60;

• Where electromagnets are used in the release mechanism, the strength of this connection can be tuned to the rider weight and release force. In the event that one electromagnet either releasing prematurely or failing to de-energise, the ride dynamics will be sufficient to overcome the holding force of the remaining magnet/s for a safe release;

• A secondary locking mechanism (such as that shown in Figures 11A and 11B) may be used which only disengages when a control system establishes that it is safe to release the rider. This will prevent premature release or late release that could result in excessive launch forces;

• A launch rail, in combination with an appropriate harness, may use the stored energy source to lift the rider and/or adjust their orientation, thereby removing the need for manhandling or lifting that is currently required;

• Because the spreader bar rigid elongated element is substantially under compression force, a very light section can be used and the problem of a large and bulky spreader bar is eliminated;

• Use of a spreader bar comprising singular a piece of tubular webbing with a rigid bar therein and loops sewn into the webbing has the advantage that failure of the lower connection stitching will not cause release of the rider. In addition, the rigid bar will always be retained. For more details se for example Figure 7A and the earlier discussion around the spreader 30;

• Use of multiple latches along the launch rail may allow for greater throughput of riders. For

example, an automated latch may be positioned just outside the launch area where the first rider can be held pending clearance of the course below, and a second rider can be brought through to the launch area for final preparation;

• Due to being able to recover riders from a single floor level that is flat, the ride personnel may stay in one position and clear riders from the hazard zone more quickly;

• The apparatus allows the rider to be connected whilst standing or sitting and to be transferred to a sitting or prone position using the system dynamics instead of manual movement for example by the ride personnel; and

• The rider has the sensation that they are in a horizontal prone position when in reality they lie at a slightly inclined angle which is important to ensure the correct launch trajectory and ensure rider safety and comfort

The embodiments described above may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more said parts, elements or features.

Further, where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which the embodiments relate, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as of individually set forth.

Aspects of launch design, harness design, means of attachment of a harness to a super structure at launch and aspects around webbing design have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claims herein.