Abstract:
The device, intended in particular for a seat on an installation for amusement parks, has two flaps ( 10, 10 ′) mounted for articulation at the end of the support ( 6 ) of the base ( 7 ) of the seat.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a device for locking the legs of a passenger in a seat, in particular a seat on an installation for amusement parks. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Various installations are found in amusement parks where vehicles travel in which passengers sit in order to live a novel experience and to have unusual emotions and sensations. 
   These installations offer a very broad range of sensations ranging from a simple ride, sometimes surprising in ghost trains, to aerial acrobatic figures afforded by roller coasters. 
   The devices for holding passengers in the seats of the vehicles travelling in these installations are adapted to the speeds and accelerations to which the passengers are subjected. Thus roller coasters are provided with retaining devices including harnesses which constitute veritable yokes which encircle the body of the passenger so as to prevent any risk of ejection of the passenger during travel. 
   In a particular embodiment of suspended roller coasters, the passengers travel along the circuit, with their backs disposed substantially parallel to the track formed by the rails. Such installations are described in particular in the international patent application publications WO 99/22829 and WO 99/22830. Because of the position occupied by the passengers in these installations, it is necessary not only for the passenger to be held with regard to his body but also to lock his legs. 
   To this end, the devices proposed in the prior international applications mentioned above propose a device for locking the legs fixed to an element mounted for tilting on the bottom part of the seat support. Amongst other drawbacks, such a device is bulky since it requires an extension of the seat support downwards in order to serve as a support for tilting. 
   The aim of the present invention is to propose a device for holding the legs of the passenger which remedies the drawbacks of known devices, which is simple to produce, whilst allowing great safety and great comfort for the passenger. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   To this end, the invention relates to a device for locking the legs of a passenger in a seat, in particular a seat on an installation for amusement parks, said seat comprising a base of the seat fixed on a support, said device comprising two flaps mounted for articulation at the end of the support of the base of the seat. It also relates to a seat for the transportation of a passenger, in particular in installations for amusement parks, having a said device for locking the legs of the passenger in a seat. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The following description, given by way of example, refers to the drawing, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a three-quarter perspective front view of a schematic example of a seat including an example of a locking device according to the invention in the open position, 
       FIG. 2  is a three-quarter front perspective view of the seat of  FIG. 1 , the locking device being shown in the closed position, 
       FIG. 3  is a side view partially in cross-section of a seat including a locking device according to the invention in the open position and illustrating one example embodiment of the opening/closing mechanism of the said device, 
       FIG. 4  is a partial section seen from above of the locking device depicted in  FIG. 3 , 
       FIG. 5  is a side view similar to that of  FIG. 3 , the locking device being shown in the closed position, 
       FIG. 6  is a partial section seen from above of the locking device depicted in  FIG. 5 , 
       FIG. 7  is a side view partially in cross-section of a seat having a locking device according to the invention in the open position and illustrating a first variant embodiment of the opening/closing mechanism of the said device, 
       FIG. 8  is a partial section seen from above of the locking device depicted in  FIG. 7 , 
       FIG. 9  is a side view similar to that of  FIG. 7 , the locking device being shown in the closed position, 
       FIG. 10  is a partial section seen from above of the locking device depicted in  FIG. 9 , 
       FIG. 11  is a side view partially in cross-section of a seat having a locking device according to the invention in the open position and illustrating a second variant embodiment of the opening/closing mechanism of the said device, 
       FIG. 12  is a view in partial section seen from above of the locking device depicted in  FIG. 11 , 
       FIG. 13  is a detail view along A of the mechanism of  FIG. 11 , and 
       FIGS. 14 to 16  are representations similar to those in  FIGS. 11 to 13  but in which the locking device is in the closed position. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 and 2  depict a seat having a device for locking the legs of a passenger according to the invention. The seat comprises a base constituting the squab part proper of the seat and having a central protrusion  4  in the shape of a camel&#39;s hump, arranged so as to cooperate with the cushion  5  of a harness and lateral parts  2 ,  2 ′ extending below the seat and serving for the lateral holding of the legs  3 ,  3 ′ of the passenger. The locking of the legs  3 ,  3 ′ is achieved by means of two flaps  10 ,  10 ′ mounted articulated at the end of the support of the seat base. When they are in the closed position, these flaps cooperate with the base of the seat and in particular with its lateral parts  2 ,  2 ′ so as to encircle the legs  3 ,  3 ′ of the passenger seated in the seat. 
   A first example embodiment of the opening/closing mechanism of the device is depicted in  FIGS. 3 to 6 . This mechanism can be mounted for example inside a beam disposed in line with the support of the seat base, at its middle part, so as to project between the legs of the passenger. This mechanism comprises a pedal  11  fixed to a lever  12  mounted for articulation about a horizontal shaft  13  fixed to the support  6  of the seat base  7 . The bottom end of the lever  12  is fixed to a horizontal shaft  15  which can slide inside the support  6  of the seat base so as to actuate the movement of closing/opening of the flaps  10 ,  10 ′. The lever  12  has a lug  14  projecting towards the rear and mounted for articulation at the end  21  of a hydraulic jack  20  for locking the device. 
   Each of the ends of the bar  15  is connected by means of a link  16 ,  16 ′ to one of the ends  18 ,  18 ′ of a lever  17 ,  17 ′ fixed to the frame  9 ,  9 ′ of one of the flaps  10 ,  10 ′ and the other end of which pivots about a shaft  19 ,  19 ′ mounted at the end of the support  6  of the seat base. As shown in the drawings, the flaps  10 ,  10 ′ can consist of a frame  9 ,  9 ′ covered with polyurethane foam. When, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the flaps are in the open position, the downward actuation of the pedal  11  gives rise to the movement of the shaft  15  towards the rear (towards the left of the drawing), the shaft  15  in its turn causing the movement of the links  16 ,  16 ′, which in their turn cause the rotation of the levers  17 ,  17 ′ about their shafts  19 ,  19 ′, the consequence of which is the closure of the flaps  10 ,  10 ′. At the same time, the pivoting of the lever  12  towards the rear acts on the end  21  of the jack  20  in order to put it under compression. 
   The hydraulic locking jack  20  can for example be a jack with an electromagnetic valve which locks the fluids in the jack when the pedal  11  is in the low position, the flaps being closed. At this moment, the jack is under compression. Its subsequent release, by tilting its valve, will actuate a movement of the device in the opposite direction, causing the opening of the flaps. 
   In the two variant embodiments, which will now be described, the closure movement of the flaps is automatically controlled by the closure movement of the harness. For the rest, the functioning of the locking device is similar to that shown in  FIGS. 1 to 6 , the identical components being designated by the same reference figures. 
   According to a first variant embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 7 to 10 , the actuation of the lever  12  for the closing/opening of the flaps  10 ,  10 ′ is effected not by means of the pedal  11  but by means of a cable  25  fixed for example at one of its ends to the end of the lug  14  fixed to the lever  12 , and at its other end to a lever  31  fixed to the harness  32 , so as to exert a traction on the lug  14  of the lever  12  during the closure movement of the harness or a thrust on this lug during the opening of the harness. The cable  25  is disposed inside a flexible sheath. It is for example possible to use a commercially available cable of the “push-pull” type. In this variant, the extension of the lateral parts  2 ,  2 ′ of the seat in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is replaced by external hoops  45  trapping the legs. 
   According to a second variant embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 11 to 16 , the assembly is arranged so that the closure of the flaps  10 ,  10 ′ is effected automatically under the control of a closure movement of the harness. On the other hand, the opening of the flaps and the opening of the harness are controlled separately. For this purpose, the device has a mechanism for temporarily connecting the flaps to the harness. 
   As depicted in  FIGS. 11 and 14 , the device comprises a control system including a connection linkage  30  fixed for articulation at one of its ends to a lever  31  secured to the harness  32  and a control bar  33 , fixed by articulation at one of its ends to the end of the lug  14  fixed to the lever  12  making it possible to actuate the closing/opening movement of the flaps  10 ,  10 ′. The other respective ends of the connecting linkage  30  and of the control bar  33  are arranged to cooperate with an intermediate cam  34  arranged so as to allow the temporary fixing of the flaps  10 ,  10 ′ to the harness  32 , as depicted to a larger scale in the detailed  FIGS. 13 and 16 , the mechanism being shown in a position corresponding to the open position of the flaps in  FIG. 13  and in a position corresponding to the closed position of the flaps in  FIG. 16 . 
   A description will now be given, in more detail, of the mechanism for temporarily fixing the flaps to the harness. As can be seen in  FIGS. 13 and 16 , the bottom end of the connecting linkage  30  has a part  35  in the form of a fork between the two arms of which the intermediate cam  34  and an actuating link  36  are disposed. The link  36  is mounted, at one of its ends, for articulation about a shaft  37  fixed to the cam  34 , and close to its other end at the bottom end of the part  35  of the linkage  30  by means of a shaft  39 . At this same end, the link  36  is also mounted for articulation at the end of a balancing spring  43  serving to counterbalance the inherent weight of the harness when it is in the open position. The cam  34  is in its turn mounted for articulation about a shaft  38  fixed to the end of the control bar  33 . A roller  40  is mounted about the shaft  39  between the arms of the fork  36  so as to cooperate with a part  41 , in the form of a nose, of the intermediate cam  34 . The mechanism is arranged so that, when the passenger lowers the harness, the connecting linkage  30  effects an upward traction in the direction of the arrow t shown in  FIG. 13 , which causes a pivoting of the link  36  upwards, the roller  40  then coming to bear against the nose-shaped part  41  of the intermediate cam  34  and thereby causing the tilting of the intermediate cam  34  in the clockwise direction, which causes a movement of the control bar  30  towards the left, which causes the closure of the flaps  10 ,  10 ′. The piercing  42  of the link  36  at the point where it pivots about the shaft  37  is made oval so as to enable the roller  40  to pass round the nose-shaped part  41  of the cam  34  once the flaps  10 ,  10 ′ are closed, as can be seen in  FIG. 16 , which then disconnects the movement of the harness from that of the flaps. 
   The system is thus arranged so that, when the harness has effected two thirds of its downward movement, the flaps are already completely closed and detected as such. At this precise moment, the flaps are locked in their closed position whilst, before awaiting this point, the passenger has every opportunity to open the flaps and harness once again simply by acting on the harness if he wishes to readjust his position in the seat. When the harness has effected two thirds of its travel and the flaps are locked in their closed position, the passenger continues the closure movement of the harness, then disconnected from the movement of the flaps as described above, until he reaches a point in the locking zone of the said harness corresponding to his morphology. The passenger is then ready to start. If the operator perceives, during his check, that the legs of the passenger are not correctly placed in the housings closed off by the flaps, or that the harness is badly adjusted, he can reopen and then close the harness or flaps independently of each other without losing the correct positions already acquired, the opening of the harness or flaps then taking place electrically. Should the operator open only the flaps, their closure will then be effected with the pedal  11 . 
   When the train returns to the station, the opening of the flaps and the opening of the harness are controlled separately by means known per se which it is unnecessary to describe here. When the harness once again reaches its maximum opening position, the intermediate temporary connection cam  34  resets itself automatically under the effect of the balancing spring  43  and by virtue of its geometry. The seat is then ready to accept a new passenger. 
   Of course, the movement of opening/closing of the flaps can also be obtained by means of any other suitable means, such as for example by means of electric motors which may for example be controlled electronically or synchronized during the opening/closing movement of the harness.