Family amusement ride

Abstract

An amusement ride comprises a track having at least one oval portion, at least one vehicle adapted to travel around the track, and a movement mechanism adapted to cause the at least one vehicle to travel around the track. The movement mechanism and the track cause each vehicle to experience an acceleration when the vehicle reaches a curved end of the oval portion and wherein the acceleration causes a top, carriage portion of the vehicle to rotate with respect to a lower carriage portion of the vehicle, about the vehicle axis. Each vehicle is rotatable around a vehicle axis at all locations about the track, including straight portions.

1 . An amusement ride comprising:
 a track having at least one oval portion;   at least one vehicle adapted to travel around said track;   a movement mechanism adapted to cause each said at least one vehicle to travel around said track; and   each said vehicle further adapted to rotate around a vehicle axis of said vehicle at all locations about said track,   wherein said movement mechanism and said track cause each said vehicle to experience an acceleration when said vehicle reaches a curved end of said oval portion and wherein said acceleration causes a top portion of said vehicle to rotate about said vehicle axis.   
     
     
         2 . The amusement ride as in  claim 1 , wherein said track includes straight portions and said vehicle is rotatable about said vehicle axis along said straight portions. 
     
     
         3 . The amusement ride as in  claim 1 , wherein said movement mechanism includes a chain that engages an arm located in a bottom portion of a corresponding vehicle of said at least one vehicle and wherein a top portion of the vehicle is rotatable with respect to the bottom portion. 
     
     
         4 . The amusement ride as in  claim 3 , wherein said chain includes a braking member for braking said vehicle at completion of a ride cycle. 
     
     
         5 . The amusement ride as in  claim 1 , wherein each said vehicle is coupled to said vehicle axis via a bearing. 
     
     
         6 . The amusement ride as in  claim 1 , wherein each said vehicle is adapted to rotate 360° about said vehicle axis. 
     
     
         7 . The amusement ride as in  claim 1 , wherein each said vehicle comprises a gondola with a plurality of seats. 
     
     
         8 . The amusement ride as in  claim 7 , wherein each said gondola includes wheels and is adapted to travel around said track on said wheels. 
     
     
         9 . The amusement ride as in  claim 1 , wherein each said vehicle comprises a gondola with a single seat extending peripherally about a center of said gondola. 
     
     
         10 . The amusement ride as in  claim 1 , wherein each said vehicle comprises a two-part vehicle including a lower chassis part coupled to said movement mechanism and an upper carriage portion that accommodates at least one rider, said upper carriage part rotatable with respect to said lower chassis part about said vehicle axis. 
     
     
         11 . The amusement ride as in  claim 10 , wherein said upper carriage part is rotatably coupled to said lower chassis part via a bearing. 
     
     
         12 . The amusement ride as in  claim 10 , wherein each said vehicle comprises a spring member disposed beneath said rotatable upper carriage part, coupled to said lower chassis part, and adapted to stabilize said lower chassis part of said vehicle. 
     
     
         13 . The amusement ride as in  claim 12 , wherein each said spring member includes an internal guide rod coupled to a chain of said movement mechanism. 
     
     
         14 . The amusement ride as in  claim 12 , wherein said spring member includes a slider member disposed between an inner spring portion and an outer spring portion. 
     
     
         15 . The amusement ride as in  claim 12 , wherein said internal guide rod includes a slider portion that moves outwardly along said guide rod to compress an outer spring of said spring member which responds by providing a restitution restoring force. 
     
     
         16 . The amusement ride as in  claim 1 , wherein said amusement ride comprises a plurality of said oval portions coupled to one another. 
     
     
         17 . An amusement ride comprising:
 an oval track;   at least one gondola adapted to travel around said oval track;   a movement mechanism adapted to cause said at least one gondola to travel around said oval track;   each said gondola having a lower chassis part coupled to said movement mechanism and an upper carriage part rotatable around an axis of said gondola at all locations about said oval track, said lower chassis part rotatably coupled to said upper carriage part via a bearing;   wherein said movement mechanism and said track configuration cause each said gondola to experience a whipping motion when said gondola reaches an end section of said oval track and wherein said whipping motion causes said upper carriage part to rotate about said axis.   
     
     
         18 . The amusement ride as in  claim 17 , wherein each said gondola comprises a spring member disposed beneath said rotatable upper carriage part, coupled to said lower chassis part, and adapted to stabilize said lower chassis part of said vehicle, each said spring member including an internal guide rod coupled to a chain of said movement mechanism. 
     
     
         19 . The amusement ride as in  claim 18 , wherein each said gondola includes wheels and is adapted to travel around said track on said wheels, said internal guide rod includes a slider portion that moves outwardly along the guide rod to compress an outer spring of the spring member which responds by providing a restitution restoring force. 
     
     
         20 . The amusement ride as in  claim 17 , wherein said movement mechanism comprises a chain that engages an arm located in a bottom portion of a corresponding gondola of said at least one gondola and wherein each said gondola is adapted to rotate 360° about said axis.