Device for accelerating and decelerating objects

Abstract: A device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects by introducing pressurized fluid through an injection valve into the bore of a housing. A piston is slidably mounted in the bore and has a cable attached to one side. The cable travels through an aperture near one end of the housing before passing over a first pulley and then connecting to a carrier which holds the object or objects. The cable is selected to be of a length such that the piston will not exit the open end of the bore, which is opposite to the end near where the aperture is located. This creates the possibility of operating the device in two different modes. In the first mode, the pressure of the introduced gas is insufficient to propel the objects past the side of the first pulley that is opposite to the initial location of the objects. The force of the introduced fluid accelerates the piston away from the end of the bore near the aperture, subsequently decelerates the piston after it has changed direction, and then begins the cycle again. When a greater pressure is utilized, the fluid will accelerate the piston and the objects until they pass the first pulley; then decelerate the objects until they stop beyond the first pulley; subsequently accelerate the objects toward the first pulley, creating a perceived negative gravitational force if the movement is vertical; and then decelerate the objects after they have again passed the first pulley.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device and method for using fluid dynamics to accelerate and decelerate an object, especially a participant on an amusement device commonly termed an amusement ride. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART In the sport of bungee jumping a participant usually ascends a tower, walks onto a bridge, is hoisted in a basket by a tower crane, or is lifted aloft in the gondola of a hot air balloon with a resilient band, i.e. , a bungee cord, attached to the participant's body and to the tower, bridge, basket, or gondola. The participant then leaps from the tower, bridge, basket, or gondola and, because of the interactions between the force of gravity and the elastic force of the band, undergoes a series of basically vertical oscillations. Dampening produced by air friction and losses of energy within the band causes the oscillations to cease within a relatively short period of time. The participant is then lowered to the earth. An initial device to capture the freedom and exhilaration of bungee jumping with increased safety and rapidity of repeating the experience is described in United States Patent No. 5,203,744 of Stanley J. Checketts. The device consists basically of a tower which participants may ascend by using a stairway or escalator, arms branching from the tower having open ends from which a participant attached to a resilient band may leap, and a winch to lower the participant to the earth after the oscillations induced by the initial leap have subsided and to restore the resilient band to its original location after it has been detached from the participant. The speed with which this experience may be repeated is, however, limited by two factors--the time it takes the participant to ascend the tower and the imprudence of each resilient band to handle more than one participant at a time. Theoretically, more than one participant could simultaneously be elevated and then oscillated on the amusement device discussed in United States Patent No. 2,221,215 of Lee U. Eyerly. But the practical capacity of Eyerly's car is severely limited by the fact that the springs or rubber bands essential to producing the oscillations are connected directly to a rigid member that pushes the bottom of the car and must, therefore, be vertically mounted. To generate sufficient force for vertically accelerating a platform capable of carrying more than a few participants requires large and, consequently, heavy springs or resilient bands. When installed vertically, their own weight impairs the resiliency of these springs or bands. Another device which can produce vertical oscillations of multiple participants is the subject of United States Patent No. 1,991,459, which was issued to Rudolf Heimers. Such device simply utilizes the muscular power of the participants to raise or lower a carrier that is suspended from a rope which winds around a flywheel that has an eccentrically arranged weight. The initial movement will cause the flywheel cyclically to wind and unwind the rope, thereby oscillating the participants. Since these oscillations are produced by the muscular power of the participants, the oscillations will require a rather lengthy period to reach reasonable amplitudes; and the attendant acceleration and deceleration will be rather limited in magnitude. A final amusement device related to the present invention is described in United States Patent No. 3,701,528 of Jerry E. Ryan. This device consists of a vertical tower having eight outwardly extending horizontal arms. A participant can be suspended with a cable from a pulley attached to one of the horizontal arms. The participant is raised by filling a bucket attached to the other end of the cable with an adequate supply of water to act as a counterweight. Raising a removable weight from the bucket causes the participant slightly to outweigh the bucket of water then forming the counterweight so that the participant experiences a perceived reduced positive gravitational force. The device of Patent No. 3,701,528 cannot, however, create a perceived negative (upward) gravitational force. Its operation, furthermore, requires a considerable period of time since each horizontal arm cannot simultaneously handle more than one participant and since the required movement of water will be quite consumptive of time. All four of the preceding inventions are, moreover, limited to functioning in a basically vertical direction. Additionally, no patented amusement device related to the present invention appears to be fluid dynamically operated. United States Patent No. 3,587,397 of Berge Hagopian does, however, apply to a single pneumatic cylinder within which gas pressure applied to one face of a piston accelerates the piston for a portion of a stroke, whereupon the piston reaches an area in which a portion of the bore of the cylinder is enlarged to permit gas to pass around the piston to equalize the pressure on both sides of the piston. Momentum of the piston then carries it into a region where the bore has its original dimensions. Compression of the gas in front of the moving piston next decelerates the piston. Rebounding of the piston is prevented by allowing gas to pass, at a controlled rate, through an orifice leading from the substantially closed end of the cylinder toward which the piston has been accelerated. No suggestion exists, though, that the device of Patent No. 3,587,397 could be utilized in an amusement ride; and, as observed above, this device is designed to preclude the piston from rebounding. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In brief summary, the present invention may in one aspect be said to comprise a device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects, as defined in claim 1. The present invention utilizes the pressure of compressed gas or other pressurized fluid introduced into the bore of a housing, which--except for the injection valve used to introduce the gas and an aperture through which a cable passes--is closed at the end where the fluid is introduced, in order to create sufficient force rapidly to accelerate a piston that can travel freely along the length of the bore and thereby rapidly accelerate one or multiple participants who are attached to the piston by the cable--and, preferably, also by a carrier, such as a seat or a harness. Although the end of the housing opposite to the end containing the aperture could be closed, it is preferably left open to the atmosphere. Confining the gas which exists at this end of the bore would necessitate injecting a fluid with a higher initial pressure at the other end to have the piston reach the same distance from the aperture. Unlike a solid spring, the weight of the fluid is insufficient to impede the resiliency of such fluid; so, the bore can be placed in any orientation. Similarly, the participant or participants may be moved in any direction relative to the earth and also in any direction relative to the bore. Therefore, to assist in orienting the cable and often to reduce frictional forces, the cable--after exiting the aperture and before reaching any participant--preferably passes around a first guide pulley or other friction-reducing device that can alter the direction of the cable, such as a bearing. (A guide pulley is one which at some time during the operation of the Device for Accelerating and Decelerating Objects has no other pulley between it and the participant or participants.) If the first guide pulley is not located at some point beyond the end of the housing which contains the aperture, a pulley (or bearing or the like) designated an auxiliary pulley is preferably so located to reduce frictional forces. The length of the cable is selected such that when the participant reaches the side of the first guide pulley that is opposite to the initial position of the participant, the piston will not have reached the end of the bore opposite to the end with the aperture. This creates the possibility of operating the Device in two different modes. For the first mode, the initial pressure of the fluid introduced into the bore is selected to be such that the piston will be propelled only so far that the participants will then never pass the first guide pulley. The movement of the piston is also simpler in this first mode. When a pressurized fluid is introduced into the bore, such fluid will accelerate the piston toward the end of the bore opposite the aperture. This will continue until the reduction in pressure within the bore, because of the increased volume created by the piston moving away from the aperture, lowers the force pushing the piston away from the aperture so that such force is equal to forces acting on the piston in the opposite direction. Momentum will, however, continue to move the piston some additional distance from the aperture. As momentum carries the piston beyond the point where the forces acting in both directions on the piston are equal, the pressure on the side toward the aperture will produce a force acting away from the aperture that lags continually farther behind the forces acting on the piston in the opposite direction until this imbalance of forces overcomes the momentum, stops the movement of the piston, and begins to force the piston toward the aperture. Momentum will again propel the piston past the point where the opposing forces equalize and will, therefore, pressurize the fluid on the side of the piston with the aperture. The process then repeats itself, oscillating the participant or participants connected to the piston with the cable. Energy losses are caused by friction as well as any fluid escaping through the small space between the cable and the edge of the aperture. (If losses of the fluid are desired to be decreased, the cable could be coated with a substance to create a smooth surface, such as nylon.) Because of the losses of energy, the amplitude of each subsequent oscillation decreases. When it is desired to cease or reduce the oscillations, a control valve connected to the end of the housing with the aperture may be opened to release the fluid at a controlled rate. Alternatively, if the space between the cable and the edge of the aperture is sufficiently large, the loss of fluid through such space will terminate the oscillations within a reasonable period of time. Conversely, if it is desired to maintain or increase the amplitude of the oscillations, pressure in the bore can be increased by introducing additional fluid into the bore when the piston is near the aperture. If one desires oscillations in this first mode, rather than just the initial acceleration and deceleration, it is preferable to have the initial position of the participant such a distance lower than the position of the participant when the piston has reached its maximum distance from the aperture that there will be an adequate component of force acting on the end of the cable attached to the participant to keep the cable from going slack as the piston is pushed toward the aperture. In the second mode, the initial pressure of the fluid introduced into the bore is sufficiently greater than the initial pressure associated with the first mode that the participants will be propelled past the first guide pulley. Since the mass of the piston is selected such that the mass of the participants (or of the participants and the carrier) exceeds that of the piston, the momentum of the participants (or of the participants and the carrier) will exceed that of the piston as the piston moves away from the aperture because the connecting cable assures that the speed of all the entities is equal. Thus, with the length of the cable being as stated above and with the participants still moving when the participants reach the side of the first guide pulley that was opposite to their initial position, because of the Law of Conservation of Momentum, the participants will continue traveling in the same direction at a slightly reduced speed; and the piston will reverse directions and move toward the aperture at this same speed. As the piston proceeds toward the aperture, the piston will pressurize the introduced fluid even more than in the first mode because the momentum of the participants is pushing the piston toward the aperture. The force created by the pressurized fluid will, as in the first mode, decelerate and eventually stop the piston and the participants. Again, the pressure of the fluid will be reduced below its original level because of energy losses and, if the movement of the participants has a vertical component, because of the force of gravity, which would, however, also aid the downward acceleration of the participants. But, as in the case of the first mode, the amplitude of the oscillations could be maintained or increased by introducing additional fluid into the bore when the piston is near the aperture. Now as the pressurized fluid accelerates the piston away from the aperture, it also accelerates the participants toward their initial position. If the initial movement of the passengers was upward, this acceleration will be downward, causing the reactive force to such acceleration to create for the participants not only a reduced perceived gravitational force but a perceived negative gravitational force--an experience that none of the devices in the prior art patents cited above can create. As the participants reach the first guide pulley, the piston will again move toward the aperture, pressurize the introduced fluid, and decelerate the participants. When pressurization of the fluid is sufficient to stop the piston, the piston will again be forced away from the aperture, moving the participants in their initial direction and starting the cycle once more. As with the first mode, the control valve may be used to release fluid and terminate the cycle, although a sufficient space between the cable and the edge of the aperture would, as explained above, render this unnecessary, as also would the placement of an orifice near the aperture. For practical convenience in orienting the cable after the participants pass the first guide pulley and in reducing frictional forces, a second guide pulley is aligned with the first guide pulley and placed on the side of the first guide pulley opposite to the initial location of the participants. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 depicts an embodiment of the Device for Accelerating and Decelerating Objects that employs a single guide pulley. Figure 2 portrays an alternate embodiment which utilizes two guide pulleys. Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment similar to that of Figure 2 but, additionally, demonstrates the capability for using more than one housing to generate the propulsive force and also shows components used to prepare the fluid that propels the pistons within the housings to accelerate and decelerate the participants. Figure 4 shows a tower which employs two or more of the embodiments from Figure 2 to propel a common carrier above the tower, itself. Figure 5 demonstrates a modification which adds an auxiliary pulley to the embodiment of Figure 1 so that the piston initially moves in the same direction as the participants. Figure 6 similarly provides a view of a modification which adds an auxiliary pulley to the embodiment of Figure 2 in order that the piston will initially move in the same direction as the participants. Figure 7 illustrates, in the embodiment of Figure 1, a mating mechanism for temporarily retaining the carrier at the most distant location which it reaches from its initial position. Figure 8 portrays a similar mating mechanism in the embodiment of Figure 2. Figure 9 depicts a series of pins on the carrier which are engaged by the mating mechanism to retain the carrier. Figure 10 is a cutaway drawing that provides the details of the mating mechanism. Figure 11 pictorially gives the details to an alternate embodiment of a mechanism for temporarily retaining the carrier. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As illustrated in Figure 1, the preferred embodiment of the Device for Accelerating and Decelerating Objects has a housing (1) containing a bore (2). A piston (3) is slidably mounted within the bore (2) and can travel freely along the length of said bore (2). The first end (4) of the housing (1) preferably possesses an aperture (5) through which a cable (6) passes; at least the aperture (5) is nearer said first end (4) than the piston (3) ever will be. One end of the cable (6) is attached to the piston (3). After leaving the housing (1), the cable (6) passes around a first guide pulley (7) before connecting to the carrier (8) for one or more participants (9). The second end (10) of the housing (1) could be closed but, as explained above, is preferably left open. When it is desired rapidly to accelerate a participant (9), pressurized fluid is introduced into the bore (2) through an injection valve (11) that is preferably located in the first end (4) of the housing (1) but, in any event, is nearer to said first end (4) than the piston (3) will ever be. The piston (3) will then rapidly be accelerated away from the first end (4) of the housing (1), thereby accelerating the participant (9) toward the first guide pulley (7). Subsequent motion of the piston (3) and the participant (9) will then occur just as described in the Summary of the Invention. When it is desired to terminate or reduce the oscillations, fluid is released at a controlled rate through a control valve (12) connected to the housing (1) and preferably located on the first end (4) of the housing (1). This could be done after one or more oscillations of the participant (9) or even just after the initial acceleration and deceleration. The preferred movement of the participant (9) is vertical; but, as noted above, it could be in any direction. As also mentioned above, however, it should be remembered that if one desires oscillations with this embodiment, rather than just the initial acceleration and deceleration, it is preferable to have the initial position of the participant (9) such a distance lower than the position of the participant (9) when the piston (3) has reached its maximum distance from the first end (4) of the housing (1) that there will be an adequate component of force acting on the end of the cable (6) attached to the participant (9) by the carrier (8) to keep the cable (6) from going slack as the piston (3) is pushed toward the first end (4) of the housing (1). For the embodiment of Figure 1, the initial pressure of the fluid introduced into the bore (2) is preferably selected to be such that the piston (3) will be propelled only some distance less than the length of the bore (2). Also, for all embodiments the length of the cable (6) is selected such that when the participant (9) reaches the side of the first guide pulley (7) that is opposite to the initial position of the participant (9), the piston (3) will not have reached the second end (10) of the housing (1). An optional embodiment is shown in Figure 2. Again the orientation of the optional embodiment and direction of travel for the participant (9) are shown to be vertical, but they could be any direction. The structure of the optional embodiment depicted in Figure 2 differs from the structure of the embodiment portrayed in Figure 1 merely by the addition of a second guide pulley (13), which is aligned with the first guide pulley (7) and placed on the side of the first guide pulley (7) opposite to the initial location of the participant (9). The optional embodiment of Figure 2 can function exactly as does the embodiment of Figure 1. However, the optional embodiment of Figure 2 orients the cable (6) when the initial pressure of the fluid introduced into the bore (2) is sufficient that the participant (9) and the piston (3) are still moving when the participant (9) reaches the side of the first guide pulley (7) that was opposite to the initial position of the participant (9); and the second mode of operation for the Device, which was explained above in the Summary of the Invention, is, therefore, experienced. As the participant (9) moves past the first guide pulley (7) toward the second guide pulley (13), the cable (6) will simply leave the first guide pulley (7) and engage the second guide pulley (13) as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 2. When the participant (9) moves in the opposite direction past the second guide pulley (13), i.e. , toward the first guide pulley (7), the cable (6) will leave the second guide pulley (13) and engage the first guide pulley (7). If the first guide pulley (7) and the second guide pulley (13) were oriented in a horizontal direction with respect to one another and the movement of the participant (9) were in a horizontal direction, release of the fluid after the initial acceleration and deceleration would accurately simulate the movement of a drag racer. Figure 3 depicts only the features of the Device that are external to the housing (1) but, in doing so, also demonstrates how the fluid is prepared and that there can be several housings (1), cables (6), and carriers (8). Each carrier (8) may, furthermore, hold more than one participant (9). A pressurizer (14)--which is a compressor when the fluid is a gas and a pump when the fluid is a liquid--is connected to a high-pressure tank (15). The pressurizer (14) pressurizes the fluid-dither by compressing gas, preferably air, or pumping a liquid--and transfers the resultant pressurized fluid for storage at a high pressure in the high-pressure tank (15). A computer (16) communicates with sensors (17) in the platform (18) which supports the carriers (8) when they are at rest. When participants (9) have been seated in a carrier (8), the sensor (17) for the respective carrier (8) determines the weight of that carrier (8) and the participants (9) seated thereon. The sensor (17) then communicates this information to the computer (16). The high-pressure tank (15) is connected to a selective valve (19), the other side of which selective valve (19) is connected to a propulsive tank (20). (High pressure, as used herein, means that the pressure is equal to or greater than any pressure that will be used in the propulsive tank (20).) The propulsive tank (20) is connected to the injection valve (11) for each housing (1). (This is preferably done within the valve cap (21) and is, consequently, not visible in Figure 3. The control valve (12) for each housing (1) is also inside the valve cap (21).) Alternatively, instead of employing a separate injection valve (11) for each housing (1), one could utilize a single injection valve (11) which has a single input port for connecting to the propulsive tank (20) and a sufficient number of exhaust ports that a separate exhaust port is available for connecting to each housing(1). The computer (16) determines and communicates to the selective valve (19) how much pressurized fluid (air, preferably, as noted above) to allow to enter the propulsive tank (20) in order to propel the participants (9) a desired distance. As is evident from the preceding discussion, the term "computer" has been used herein to designate a machine which can receive information from sensors, make logic decisions, and transmit appropriate control signals. Accordingly, the term "controller" is often used in the art interchangeably with the term "computer." Although separate carriers (8) could be operated separately, the carriers (8) are preferably operated simultaneously and are, also, preferably physically connected to one another. Similarly, even though a computer (16) is preferred for controlling how much pressurized fluid is placed in the propulsive tank (20), a mechanical system could perform this task. Figure 4 portrays a second optional embodiment. There are at least two legs (22) for a tower (generally denoted 23). Each leg (22) contains at least one of the embodiments illustrated in Figure 2, except that each cable (6) is attached to the common carrier (8). As shown by the dotted lines in Figure 4, the common carrier (8) can be elevated to a position higher than any portion of the tower (23). If, for any reason, one desires to have the piston (3) initially move in the same direction as the participants (9) do, this can be accomplished simply by adding an auxiliary pulley (24). Such a modification to the embodiment of Figure 1 is portrayed in Figure 5; a similar modification to the embodiment of Figure 2 is shown in Figure 6. When a carrier (8) is utilized, a heightened sense of suspense can be achieved for the participants by temporarily retaining the carrier (8) at the most distant location which the carrier (8) reaches from the initial position of the carrier (8). To accomplish this, a support structure (25) is placed where it will be near the carrier (8) as the carrier (8) approaches and attains its most distant location from its initial position. Such, a support structure (25) for the embodiment of Figure 1 is depicted in Figure 7, and a similar support structure (25) for the embodiment of Figure 2 is portrayed in Figure 8. On the side of the carrier (8) nearest to the support structure (25) a series of pins (26) is attached to the carrier (8) with each of the pins (26) being aligned with all other pins (26) in a direction parallel to the carrier (8) and perpendicular to the length of each pin (26), as shown in Figure 9. Located on the support structure (25) in the area where the carrier (8) approaches and attains its most distant location from its initial position is a mating mechanism (27) for releasable engagement with one of the pins (26). The details of the mating mechanism (27) are illustrated in the cutaway drawing of Figure 10. A hook-shaped latch (28) is pivotally mounted in a cart (29) so that the first end (30) of the latch (28) extends outward from the support structure (25) when the cart (29) is slidably attached to the support structure (25). The generally concave side (31) of the latch (28) faces away from the initial position of the carrier (8) while the opposite side (32) of the latch (28) is, logically, directed toward the initial position of the carrier (8). This opposite side (32) of the latch (28) extends farther from the cart (29) as one travels farther from the initial position of the carrier (8) so that, as each pin (26) proceeds along the latch (28) in a direction away from the initial position of the carrier (8), such pin (26) simply causes the latch (28) to pivot into the cart (29), as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 10, and allows the carrier (8) to pass. A bias spring (33) urges the first end (30) of the latch (28) outward from the support structure (25) with sufficient force to maintain the first end (30) of the latch (28) extending outward from the support structure (25) but not so much force as to preclude the pins (26) from causing the latch (28) to pivot into the cart (29) as the pins (26) proceed along the latch (28) in a direction away from the initial position of the carrier (8). When the carrier (8) begins to reverse its direction of travel, i.e. , when the carrier (8) starts to move toward the initial position of the carrier (8), one of the pins (26) will engage the generally concave side (31) of the latch (28). The force tending to move the carrier (8) toward the initial position of the carrier (8) will then merely serve to keep the pin (26) engaged by the generally concave side (31) of the latch (28) and thereby prevent the carrier (8) from moving. A series of pins (26) is utilized because factors such as the amount of weight in the carrier (8) and the extent of energy losses cause a slight variation in the maximum distance that the carrier (8) travels from its initial position. A hydraulic system (generally denoted 34) is used when it is desired to release the carrier (8). An accumulator (35) is connected to a hydraulic line (36), the other end of which is attached to a hydraulic cylinder (37). A hydraulic cylinder piston (38) is slidably mounted within the hydraulic cylinder (37). Attached to the hydraulic cylinder piston (38) is a hydraulic cylinder rod (39) that exits the hydraulic cylinder (37) through a cylinder aperture (40) at the end of such hydraulic cylinder (37) which is on the side of the hydraulic cylinder piston (38) that is farther from the point where the hydraulic line (36) connects to the hydraulic cylinder (37). During the period of time when the mating mechanism (27) is either prepared to retain the carrier (8) or is actually retaining such carrier (8), the hydraulic cylinder rod (39) is extended. Since the end of the hydraulic cylinder rod (39) opposite to the end which is connected to the hydraulic cylinder piston (38) is attached to the cart (29), the cart (29) is maintained at a farther distance from the initial position of the carrier (8). To release the carrier (8), an accumulator piston (41), which is slidably mounted within the accumulator (35), is moved away from the end of the accumulator (35) where the hydraulic line (36) is attached. (Rather than having a slidably mounted piston, some accumulators utilize an expandable bladder and would serve as an acceptable alternative.) Since hydraulic fluid or oil (42)--dependent merely upon which liquid an operator desires to utilize, although hydraulic fluid is preferred--occupies the space in the accumulator (35), the hydraulic line (36), and the hydraulic cylinder (37), between the accumulator piston (41) and the hydraulic cylinder piston (38), movement of the accumulator piston (41) away from the end of the accumulator (35) where the hydraulic line (36) is attached causes more hydraulic fluid or oil (42) to enter the accumulator (35) and an equal quantity of hydraulic fluid or oil (42) to leave the hydraulic cylinder (37). Consequently, the force acting upon the carrier (8) will push the cart (29) toward the initial position of the carrier (8). The portion of the latch (28) on the side of the latch pivot (43) away from the first end (30) with the hooked shape is a lever arm (44) that extends through a second cart aperture (45) and a second channel aperture (46) of a channel (47) which is contained within the support structure (25) and within which channel (47) the cart (29) slides. A first channel aperture (48) and a first cart aperture (49) similarly permit the first end (30) of the latch (28) to extend from the support structure (25), as described above. Attached to the support structure (25) at a point intermediate between the extreme positions of the end of the hydraulic cylinder rod (39) which is attached to the cart (29) is a stop (50) that engages the lever arm (44) and, thus, retains the lever arm in position as the cart (29) continues to move toward the initial position of the carrier (8). Since the strength of the bias spring (33) is inadequate to resist the force acting upon the carrier (8), the engagement of the lever arm (44) by the stop (50) causes the hook-shaped first end (30) of the latch (28) to pivot into the cart (29) and thereby to release the pin (26) and, therefore, the carrier (8). Moving the accumulator piston (41) toward the end of the accumulator (35) where the hydraulic line (36) is attached moves the cart (29) away from the initial position of the carrier (8) and again prepares the mating mechanism (27) to retain the carrier (8). To facilitate the sliding of the cart (29) within the channel (47), wheels (51) are preferably rotatably attached to the cart (29). Of course, should one so desire, the pins (26) could be connected to the support structure (25) instead of the carrier (8) if the mating mechanism (27) were attached to the carrier (8) instead of the support structure (25). An alternate embodiment of a mechanism for temporarily retaining the carrier (8) at the most distant location which the carrier (8) reaches from the initial position of the carrier (8) is illustrated in Figure 11. The middle portion (52) of a first pivot arm (53) is rotatably attached to the support structure (25). Similarly, the middle portion (54) of a second pivot arm (55) is rotatably connected to the support structure (25). The first end (56) of the first pivot arm (53) and the first end (57) of the second pivot arm (55) both extend into the support structure (25) while the second end (58) of the first pivot arm (53) and the second end (59) of the second pivot arm (55) both extend outward from the support structure (25) in such a manner that when the second end (58) of the first pivot arm (53) and the second end (59) of the second pivot arm (55) are moved toward one another, they will be aligned with one another. Near the first end (56) of the first pivot arm (53) a first end (60) of a fluid cylinder (61) is rotatably attached to said first pivot arm (53). A fluid cylinder piston (62) is slidably mounted within the fluid cylinder (61). At a point on the fluid cylinder (61) between the first end (60) of the fluid cylinder (61) and the closest point of approach by the fluid cylinder piston (62) to the first end (60) of the fluid cylinder (61) is a fluid cylinder valve (63) through which a fluid can be introduced into the fluid cylinder (61). Connected to the side of the fluid cylinder piston (62) which faces away from the first end (60) of the fluid cylinder (61), i.e ., the side of the fluid cylinder piston (62) which is directed toward the second end (64) of the fluid cylinder (61), is the first end (65) of a fluid cylinder rod (66) that extends from the fluid cylinder (61) through a fluid cylinder aperture (67) which is located in the second end (64) of the fluid cylinder (61). The second end (68)of the fluid cylinder rod (66) is rotatably attached to the second pivot arm (55) near the first end (57) of the second pivot arm (55). Preferably, a first end (69) of a tension spring (70) is attached to the first pivot arm (53) at a point between the location where the first pivot arm (53) is connected to the support structure (25) and the place where the first end (60) of the fluid cylinder (61) is attached to the first pivot arm (53). The second end (71) of the tension spring (70) is, similarly, attached to the second pivot arm (55) at a location between the point where the second pivot arm (55) is connected to the support structure (25) and the place where the second end (68) of the fluid cylinder rod (66) is attached to the second pivot arm (55). Therefore, the tension spring (70) pulls the first end (56) of the first pivot arm (53) and the first end (57) of the second pivot arm (55) toward each other, thereby forcing the second end (58) of the first pivot arm (53) away from the second end (59) of the second pivot arm (55). When a fluid is introduced into the fluid cylinder (61) through the fluid cylinder valve (63), the fluid cylinder piston (62) is pushed away from the first end (60) of the fluid cylinder (61) toward the second end (64) of the fluid cylinder (61). This causes the fluid cylinder rod (66) to extend farther from the second end (64) of the fluid cylinder (61). The force exerted by the fluid within the fluid cylinder (61) is sufficient to overcome the force of the tension spring (70); so, the introduction of fluid into the fluid cylinder (61) forces the first end (56) of the first pivot arm (53) and the first end (57) of the second pivot arm (55) away from each other, thereby pushing the second end (58) of the first pivot arm (53) toward the second end (59) of the second pivot arm (55). The longitudinal axis of the fluid cylinder (61) is oriented perpendicularly to the direction of travel of the cart (8). Moreover, a first brake pad (72) is attached to the side of the second end (58) of the first pivot arm (53) which faces the second end (59) of the second pivot arm (55); and a second brake pad (73) is connected to the second end (59) of the second pivot arm (55) which faces the second end (58) of the first pivot arm (53). A fin (74) is attached to the side of the carrier (8) which is nearest to the support structure (25). The plane of the fin (74) is perpendicular to the side of the carrier (8) which is nearest to the support structure (25) so that as the carrier (8) approaches and attains its most distant location from its initial position, the fin (74) will pass between the first brake pad (72) and the second brake pad (73). As the carrier (8) approaches and attains its most distant location from its initial position, a sufficient volume of fluid is introduced through the fluid cylinder valve (63) to cause the first brake pad (72) and the second brake pad (73) simultaneously to squeeze against the fin (74) and thereby to retain the carrier (8) at its most distant location from its initial position. The length of the fin (74) in the direction of travel of the carrier (8) is sufficiently long to accommodate the slight variations in maximum distance attained by the carrier (8) as a result of different weight in the carrier (8) and changes in the extent of energy losses. To release the carrier (8), a fluid cylinder relief valve (75) releases the fluid that has been introduced in the fluid cylinder (61). Even without the tension spring (70), this will reduce the pressure on the first brake pad (72) and the second brake pad (73), allowing the fin (74) to slip past the first brake pad (72) and the second brake pad (73). With the preferable inclusion of the tension spring (70), the first brake pad (72) and the second brake pad (73) will actually be forced away from the fin (74). The fluid cylinder valve (63) and the fluid cylinder relief valve (75) could either be separate valves, as pictured, or could be combined in a single complex valve. The Device for Accelerating and Decelerating Objects could be fastened to the ground; a permanent structure; or a mobile support, such as a truck or a trailer. Although the discussion herein has been directed toward amusement rides, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the device which is described herein is equally suitable for rapidly accelerating and decelerating, as well as oscillating, a wide spectrum of objects other than human beings and has obvious applications beyond the field of entertainment. As used herein the term "object," therefore, includes--but is not restricted to--a human being.

Claims: A device which comprises: a housing (1) having a closed first and (4) and an open second end (10), an aperture (5) being defined in the first end (4), the housing defining a bore (2); a piston (3) slidably mounted within the bore (2) of the housing (1); a cable (6) having a first end and a second end, the first end of the cable (6) being attached to the piston (3), the second end of the cable (6) being available for connecting to the object or objects (9), such that the cable (6) passes through the aperture (5) and is of such length that the piston (3) will never reach the second end (10) of the housing (1) when the second end of the cable (6) is attached to the object or objects (9); and an injection valve (11), located near the first end (4) of the housing (1), the injection valve (11) acting to introduce pressurized fluid into the bore (2), to accelerate the piston (3) and, consequently, the object or objects (9), the piston (3) thereby being accelerated away from the first end (4) of the housing (1), the fluids also acting to decelerate the piston (3) and, consequently, the object or objects (9) when the piston (3) moves toward the first end (4) of the housing (1) such that the interaction of the piston (3) and the fluid acts to accelerate and decelerate the object or objects (9) in at least a single oscillatory motion of acceleration and deceleration. The device of claim 1 wherein the fluid is a compressed gas. The device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects as recited in claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a propulsive tank (20) for storing the pressurized fluid, which propulsive tank (20) is connected to the injection valve (11). The device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects as recited in claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising: a control valve (12) connected to the housing (1) to release fluid and terminate or reduce the acceleration and deceleration. The device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects as retired in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, further comprising: a first guide pulley (7) over which the cable (6) passes after having exited the housing (1) through the aperture (5) and before the cable (6) reaches the object or objects (9). The device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects as retired in claim 5, further comprising; a second guide pulley (13) which is aligned with the first guide pulley (7) and located on the side of the first guide pulley (7) opposite to the initial location of the object or objects (9) to be accelerated so that when the object or objects (9) pass the first guide pulley (7) toward the second guide pulley (13), the cable (6) will leave the first guide pulley (7) and engage the second guide pulley (13). The device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects as recited in any one of claims 1 through 6, further comprising: a carrier (8), which carrier (8) is attached to the second end of the cable (6) and which carrier (8) is available to hold the object or objects (9). The device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects as recited in claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a carrier (8), which carrier (8) is attached to the second end of the cable (6) and which carrier (8) is available to hold the object or objects (9); a first guide pulley (7) over which the cable (6) passes after having exited the housing (1) through the aperture (5) and before the cable (6) reaches the object or objects (9); a second guide pulley (13) which is aligned with the first guide pulley (7) and located on the side of the first guide pulley (7) opposite to the initial location of the object or objects (9) to be accelerated so that when the object or objects pass the first guide pulley (7) toward the second guide pulley (13), the cable (6) will leave the first guide pulley (7) and engage the second guide pulley (13); a control valve (12) connected to the housing (1) to release fluid and terminate or reduce the acceleration and deceleration; a propulsive tank (20) for storing the pressure fluid, which propulsive tank (20) is connected to the injection valve (11); a selective valve (19), the first end of which selective valve (19) is attached to the propulsive tank (20) to provide a predetermined quantity of pressurized fluid to the propulsive tank (20); a high-pressure tank (15) connected to the second end of the selective valve (19), which high-pressure tank (15) stores the pressurized fluid; and a pressurizer connected to the high-pressure tank (15), which pressurizer pressurizes the fluid and transfers such pressurized fluid to the high-pressure tank (15). The device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects as recited in claim 8, further comprising: a sensor (17) located beneath the resting carrier (8) that measures the weight of the carrier (8) and object or objects (9); and a computer (16) that receives the measurement of weight from the sensor (17) and then determines and communicates to the selective valve (19) the quantity of pressurized fluid to be allowed to enter the propulsive tank (20) in order to propel the object or objects (9) a desired distance. The device for accelerating and decelerating one or more objects as recited in any one of claims 1 through 9, further comprising: a means for retaining the carrier (8) at the most distant location which the carrier (8) reaches from the initial position of the carrier (8).

Inventors: CHECKETTS STANLEY J, CHECKETTS, STANLEY J.
Applicants: CHECKETTS STANLEY J, CHECKETTS, STANLEY J.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: A63G31
IPC codes: B66F7, A63G31