SUBMARINE AMUSEMENT RIDE

Abstract: An underwater mobile observatory system comprising an aquarium (20) able to hold water and large enough to support fish, coral, and to display artificial objects such as shipwrecks and ruins, a vehicle track (21) extending through the aquarium (20), the track (21) generally being adjacent the bottom of the aquarium (20), the track (21) having a portion (24) which rises to a loading/unloading position, and a passenger vehicle (22) coupled to the track (21) for movement therealong and unable to leave the track (21) such that inclination of the track (21) causes the vehicle (22) to move up and down through water in the aquarium (20), the passenger vehicle (22) having a main body portion to seat passengers and which is capable of being submerged, and a top portion which is open to the air, the spacing between the track (21) and the water level being controlled such that water does not pass over the top portion.

Description: TITLE SUBMARINE AMUSEMENTRIDE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an aquarium/oceanarium containing underwater mobile observatory vehicles, and which functions to provide education and entertainment to patrons . BACKGROUND ART Studies have shown that underwater adventures are popular and attractive to members of the public, and some theme parks and amusements parks have some form of underwater or aquatic observatory system in place. A well-known system has a clear plastic tunnel passing through a large aquarium or oceanarium which . is filled with coral and marine life. The tunnel has a moving walkway and patrons stand on the walkway and are transported through the aquarium. Another popular known system also has a large aquarium or oceanarium and a semi-submersible vehicle is powered through the oceanarium with a low powered motor. The semi-submersible vehicle is powered through a propeller and requires stringent safety controls and highly trained operators to use the semi-submersible vehicle in a safe manner. The vehicles are difficult and clumsy to maneouver and loading and unloading of passengers is a slow process as the vehicle needs to be carefully powered into a mooring position, then needs to be moored (which can be time consuming) , and passengers then need to embark and disembark in a manner to keep the correct buoyancy level of the vehicle. These semi-submersible vehicles suffer from a number of disadvantages including a low limit of passengers (usually about 20 - 25), singular viewing windows and ports required because of the high hull strength required. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an underwater mobile observatory system using vehicles which are coupled to a track with the track passing through an aquarium/oceanarium, the vehicles being powered along the track. In this manner, the vehicle is not clumsy to manoeuvre, and by being coupled to the track, the vehicle can be made to surface and semi-submerge by rise and fall of the track rather than by complicated buoyancy requirements. The arrangement allows the vehicle to be virtually fully automated. The vehicle can quickly be moved to a loading and unloading position merely by travelling along the track. It is an object of the invention to provide an underwater mobile observatory system which may overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice. In one form, the invention resides in an underwater mobile observatory system comprising an aquarium able to hold water and large enough to support fish, coral, and to display artificial objects such as shipwrecks and ruins, a vehicle track extending through the aquarium the track generally being adjacent the bottom of the aquarium, the track having a portion which rises to a loading/unloading position, and a passenger vehicle coupled to the track for movement therealong and unable to leave the track such that inclination of the track causes the vehicle to move up and down through water in the aquarium, the passenger vehicle having a main body portion to seat passengers and which is capable of being submerged, and a top portion which is open to the air, the spacing between the track and the water level being controlled such that water does not pass over the top portion. The terms aquarium/oceanarium can be used interchangeably with both terms including a large body of water in which the track can be laid and through which the vehicle can pass. In another form, the invention resides in a vehicle as described above. By having the vehicle coupled to the track and by allowing the track to rise and fall relative to the water level, the vehicle by moving along the track, can quickly go to a loading and unloading position and then se i- submerge back into the oceanarium to a viewing position. It is preferred that the bulk of the vehicle is below the water level and especially the main body portion. An upper portion or top wall of the vehicle can be positioned just above the water, and this portion can be fitted with emergency or escape hatches. By designing the track, and the vehicle, and by controlling the water level, it is possible to ensure that the very top of the vehicle is just above the water line such that the passengers have the sensation that they are entirely underwater, yet the vehicle is safe in that should there be a problem, the emergency or escape hatches can be opened and the passengers can quickly exit. It is preferred that the aquarium has a walkway or escape way above the level of the water and immediately above the vehicle such that should an emergency situation arise, the escape hatches can be opened and passengers can simply move on to the walkway and away from the vehicle. The walkway can be supported above the aquarium by any convenient method including support cables, struts and the like. The vehicle is powered along the track and the rate of movement can be controlled manually or by computer. One propulsion method can include a cable system to tow the cables along the track. Another arrangement may include electric motors to push the vehicle along the track. Other drive mechanisms are also envisaged. The track itself can be formed from concrete, metal or other material which does not appreciably corrode in the aquarium or oceanarium environment. It is preferred that the track is substantially T-shaped when viewed in section as this allows the vehicle to be coupled to the track. The track is preferably supported slightly above the oceanarium floor ( typically between 0.5m - 2m) to prevent the track being fouled by sand, grit, seaweed and the like. The vehicle itself has some form of track coupling means on the bottom of the vehicle and the track coupling means may comprise one or more rollers which roll over the track. It is preferred that rollers extend above and below the T-shaped track to couple the vehicle to the track. The track passes through the aquarium and the main portion of the track is suitably on or around the bottom of the aquarium. At the loading and unloading portion, the track can rise above the bottom of the aquarium, or alternatively the bottom of the aquarium may rise with the track following the rise. In both instances, the result is that the vehicle rises substantially above the water level such that passengers can easily move in and out of the vehicle. The vehicle itself can be designed to hold a fairly large number of people (more than 25), and as the vehicle is coupled to the track, its design considerations can be such that the main passenger portion can have large continuous viewing windows rather than individual ports. It is preferred that the aquarium is annular in shape with a circular track extending through the aquarium. The aquarium can be of any size and typically the track has a length of between 100m - 500m and preferably about 220m, and the track diameter can be for instance 80m. The aquarium can be divided into different themed displays, for instance an Atlantis display, a graveyard of shipwrecks display, and a futuristic city under the sea display, with the vehicle passing through the displays. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which Figures 1 and 2 are plan part section views of an underwater mobile observatory system taken along sections A - A and B - B. Figures 3 and 4 are side section views taken along A - A ( Figure 3 ) and B - B ( Figure 4 ) . Figure 5 is a longitudinal section view of the vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 6 is a transverse section view of the vehicle of Figure 5. Figure 7 illustrates an upper part of the vehicle and its associated overhead walkway. Referring to the drawings and initially to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown an underwater mobile observatory complex. The complex has an annular shaped aquarium 20. Inside aquarium 20 is an annular track 21, the diameter of the track being about 80m and the length of the track being about 220m (it being appreciated that this is only one of many different possible diameters and lengths ) . Coupled to track 21 are a pair of vehicles 22, the vehicle being linked together to allow more passengers per hour through the aquarium. Of course, it should be appreciated that the vehicle need not be linked together or that more than two vehicles can be provided. The central hub area 23 includes infrastructure, lounge, dining rooms, and various other themed accessories for visitors. For instance, referring to Figure 1, the central hub area 23 includes audio-visual theatre and static marine display 8, marine life display tanks 9, staff and administration center 10, floating pontoon waiting lounges, 11, concession area and servery 12, toilets 13, a queuing platform 14 to embark vehicles 22, a shop 15 and a themed tropical rainforest and aviary 16. Track 21 is formed from marine concrete or other similar material which is corrosion resistant in an aquatic environment, and is T-shaped when viewed in section which is more clearly illustrated with reference to Figure 6. Track 21 is footed in the bottom of aquarium 20 and extends slightly above the bottom of the aquarium such that a vehicle 22 can be coupled to the track in a manner illustrated in Figure 6. Track 21 rises to a loading unloading zone 24 (see Figure 1), and as illustrated in Figure 3, this is achieved by raising the bottom of the aquarium such that track 21 also rises. At the loading unloading zone 24, vehicle 22 is sufficiently above water to allow easy and quick loading and unloading of passengers. As illustrated in Figure 1, passengers embark through one side of vehicles 22 and via the queuing platforms 14, and passengers disembark through the other side of vehicle 22 and towards an exit 25. As the aquarium is annular in shape, access to the central hub portion 23 is via a tunnel 26 which can be an acrylic tunnel such that visitors can view the aquarium as they walk through the tunnel. Central hub 23 has an upper and lower level and Figure 2 shows the lower level part of central hub 23 which includes a 300 seat restaurant 27, a restaurant service area 28, more toilets 29, a filtration plant, ozone generator and emergency power plant 30, a marine research centre 31 and a dive store 32. Restaurant 27 may have a glass wall 33 to allow patrons to view a portion of the aquarium. Figure 5 illustrates a typical vehicle. Vehicle 22 has a main body portion 35 designed to accommodate passengers. Vehicle 22 is attached to track 21 through a number of upper rollers 36 and lower rollers 37. This ensures that vehicle 22 is coupled to track 21 and cannot inadvertently be removed from the track. The vehicle is powered along the track by any suitable drive system including cable system, electric motors and the like. The main body portion of vehicle 35 is designed to be fully submersed with only a top wall 38 being above the level of water in the aquarium. Top wall 38 is provided with a number of escape hatches 39 which are always above water such that should an emergency situation arise, passengers can very quickly disembark through escape hatches 39. The aquarium is provided with a walkway 40 which is positioned above track 21 and therefore above escape hatches 39. Passengers passing through an escape hatch 39 can simply clamber on to walkway 40 and walk away from vehicle 22. Walkway 40 can also house, in a safe manner, electric supply power 42 to power the vehicle. The vehicle can have one or more extending members or fins 41 which extend up along the side of the walkway 40 and couple with the source of electric power, possibly in a manner similar to an electric rail vehicle. The system does not require specially skilled operators necessitating extensive training and/or marine licenses. The vehicles can be manned by tour guides having some underwater experience. The vehicles can be controlled from a central location which can monitor speeds, turnarounds and the like. The vehicles are extremely safe and if any unavoidable incidents such as breakdown arises, the passengers can disembark through the escape hatches at any point in the ride. The vehicle 22 requires no controls on the vehicle itself and hence a standard ballasting system is not required. By not requiring a standard ballasting system, the vehicles can be moved around more quickly as there is no need to careful ballasting to occur. The vehicle are captivated on the track and submergence and emergence is controlled by the depth of the rail relative to the water surface rather than ballasting or other complicated requirements. There is no change in ballast to the vehicle whilst submerged and therefore the vehicle is subjected to positive buoyancy at all time. The captivating track keeps the vehicle underwater. The drive system can vary. One possible drive system is a mechanical system which can consist either of a conveyor-type system or an adoption of a simple wire and winch mechanism. If an electrical power system is required, power is supplied to electric motors on board the vehicles which would drive rollers attached to the rails. Power can be drawn from a power source on walkway 40. The vehicle can move over a 240m track at a rate of 2 - 3km per hour making the duration of the voyage about 7 minutes. The vehicle can have a length of about 13m, a beam of about 3m, a height of about 5m, a weight of about 12 tonnes, and can carry about 50 persons. It is envisaged that the entire system can entertain up to about 1, 200 people per hour in a temperature controlled environment and if four vehicles are used with a ride of about 7 - 8 minutes, up to 9,000 - 10,000 persons can be entertained in an 8 hour day. The system gives passengers the experience of an authentic submarine ride within a safe controlled environment and the turnaround of passengers is large compared to existing systems. Each vehicle can have full length viewing windows on either side to give passengers an unrestricted view with an ark of 180°. It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. An underwater mobile observatory system comprising an aquarium able to hold water and large enough to support fish, coral, and to display artificial objects such as shipwrecks and ruins, a vehicle track extending through the aquarium the track generally being adjacent the bottom of the aquarium, the track having a portion which rises to a loading/unloading position, and a passenger vehicle coupled to the track for movement therealong and unable to leave the track such that inclination of the track causes the vehicle to move up and down through water in the aquarium, the passenger vehicle having main body portion to seat passengers and which is capable of being submerged, and a top portion which is open to the air, the spacing between the track and the water level being controlled such that water does not pass over the top portion. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle has at least one exit hatch in the top portion. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein a walkway is provided above the vehicle and is accessible via the at least one exit hatch. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the vehicle is electrically driven and is connected to an electric supply positioned above the vehicle. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the main body portion of vehicle is fully submersible. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is connected to the track via rollers. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the floor of the aquarium rises towards the water surface at the loading/unloading point 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the aquarium is annular in shape.

Inventors: LOFTS PETER ANTHONY, LOFTS, PETER, ANTHONY
Applicants: LOFTS PETER ANTHONY, UNDERWATER MOBILE OBSERVATORIE, LOFTS, PETER, ANTHONY, UNDERWATER MOBILE OBSERVATORIES INTERNATIONAL PTY.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A63G3
IPC codes: A63G3, B63C11, E04H3