AU2021282208A1 - Cableway vehicle having crossing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the invention, in order to facilitate easier access to an entry unit (4) of a cableway pillar (1) of a cableway (2), a crossing apparatus (14) is provided on the cableway vehicle (7) for persons to cross from the cableway vehicle (7) onto the entry unit (4) of the cableway pillar (1), the crossing apparatus (14) being movable relative to the cableway vehicle (7) between a stowed position in which the crossing apparatus (14) is stowed on the cableway vehicle (7) and a standby position provided for the crossing process to be performed, and a fastening portion (15) being provided on the crossing apparatus (14) in order to couple the crossing apparatus (14) releasably to the entry unit (4) of the cableway pillar (1) in the standby position.

Description

CABLEWAY VEHICLE WITH CROSSOVER APPARATUS

[0001] The invention relates to a cablewayvehicle for a cableway, to a cableway, and to a method for carrying out the crossing-over of a person from a cableway vehicle of a cableway to an access unit of a cableway support of the cableway.

[0002] Cableways are available in a wide variety of designs, mostly for transporting people and/or goods, for example as urban means of transport or for transporting people in ski areas. Funiculars are known in which mostly rail-bound vehicles are fastened to a wire cable in order to be pulled by the wire cable. The movement takes place on the ground, with funiculars mostly used on mountain routes. In the case of aerial cableways, on the other hand, cableway vehicles such as gondolas, cars, or chairs are carried by one or more (wire) cables without fixed guides, and moved while hanging in the air. The cableway vehicles therefore have no contact with the ground. Aerial cableways are usually used in rough terrain, mostly for mountain routes, for example in ski areas, to transport people from the valley up a mountain. As a rule, cableways have two stations between which the cableway vehicles are moved.

[0003] A distinction must be made between circulating cableways and aerial cableways. In the case of aerial cableways, one or two cableway vehicles pulled by a traction cable travel back and forth on a conveyor cable on a trajectory between two stations. Circulating cableways, on the other hand, have a continuous conveyor cable which is constantly circulating between the stations and on which a plurality of cableway vehicles, such as gondolas, cars, or chairs, are suspended. The cableway vehicles are moved from one station to the other on one side and back again on the opposite side. The movement of the cableway vehicles is therefore always essentially continuous in one direction, and analogous to that of a continuous conveyor.

[0004] In order to be able to bridge greater distances, one or more cableway supports for guiding the (carrying/traction) cable(s) are usually arranged between the two stations. A plurality of rollers, for example in the form of a so-called roller set, is usually arranged on a cableway support in order to carry and guide the cable. In order to be able to carry out maintenance and repairs on the cableway supports, in particular on the rollers, access units are often provided on the cableway supports. Such access units can be designed, for example, in the form of (maintenance) platforms and/or steps and can be accessed by maintenance personnel. In addition, safety devices, for example railings, can also be provided in order to increase the safety for the maintenance personnel.

[0005] Depending on the purpose and terrain, cableway supports can have a height that is between a few meters and more than 150m. Until now, entry to the access units for the cableway supports was only possible via ladders from the ground. However, due to the often impassable terrain and especially because of the sometimes great heights of the cableway supports, such entry is very difficult and time-consuming.

[0006] Maintenance cars are known in the prior art, as disclosed for example in US 2012 0240812 Al. The car has a platform which is arranged on the suspending rod and which is accessible from the car via a fixed ladder. A crossover to an access unit of a cableway support is therefore not possible.

[0007] EP 2 810 842 Al discloses a climbing aid with a ladder and a platform which can be fastened to the suspension gear and can be mounted on a conventional cableway vehicle, such as a gondola or a chair. In this case too, no crossover to an access unit of a cableway support is possible.

[0008] Evacuation ladders are known in the field of suspension lifts, as disclosed for example in CN 207241689 U. In this case, a car can be exited through a roof hatch via a first evacuation ladder in order to get onto the roof. The roof hatch is connected to the roof in an articulated manner, and serves at the same time as a second evacuation ladder. The roof hatch can be attached to an evacuation platform in order to permit climbing through a hatch from below onto the evacuation platform. The cars of suspended lifts are relatively large and heavy, and usually run with wheels on parallel rails. For this reason, the cars are not exposed to any, or only to very low, oscillations during operation. In the case of cableways, on the other hand, in which the cableway vehicles are moved with flexible conveying cables, swinging movements often occur, which can be amplified, for example, by wind forces. The evacuation system of CN 207241689 U is therefore unsuitable for the crossing-over of a person from a cableway vehicle of a cableway to an access unit of a cableway support of the cableway, because the evacuation ladders could become detached very easily.

[0009] It is therefore an object of the invention to enable easier entry to an access unit of a cableway support of a cable car.

[0010] According to the invention, the object is achieved in that a crossover apparatus for the crossing-over of persons from the cableway vehicle to an access unit of a cableway support of the cableway is provided on the cableway vehicle, the crossover apparatus being displaceable relative to the cableway vehicle between a stowage position in which the crossover apparatus is stowed on the cableway vehicle and a deployed position intended for carrying out the crossover, wherein a fastening section is provided on the crossover apparatus to releasably couple the crossover apparatus to the access unit of the cableway support when in the deployed position. This enables entry to the access unit directly from a cableway vehicle, is significantly less strenuous and less time-consuming for maintenance personnel than via a ladder from the ground.

[0011]A vehicle-mounted holding device is preferably provided on the cableway vehicle in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus to the cableway vehicle by means of the fastening section in the stowage position. As a result, the crossover apparatus can be secured to the cableway vehicle during travel.

[0012]The cableway vehicle is preferably designed as a maintenance vehicle, wherein an access platform for persons is provided in an upper region of the cableway vehicle, and the vehicle-mounted holding device is arranged on the access platform. As a result, the crossover apparatus can also be used in the stowage position in order to reach the access platform.

[0013]A locking unit can be provided on the fastening section of the crossover apparatus in order to lock the crossover apparatus on the access unit in the deployed position and/or on the cableway vehicle in the stowage position, in particular on the vehicle-mounted holding device. The locking unit preferably has at least one locking element, wherein the locking element is preferably preloaded by means of at least one preload element. By providing a locking unit, the risk of the crossover apparatus becoming detached in an undesired manner can be reduced, whereby safety can be increased.

[0014] For a better hold during the crossover, the crossover apparatus preferably has at least one step element and/or holding element for a person to step onto or hold onto.

[0015] It can also be advantageous if a length of the crossover apparatus is variable, so as to adapt the length of the crossover apparatus to a variable distance between the access unit and the cableway vehicle.

[0016] The crossover apparatus can be designed as a single piece, or the crossover apparatus can have a crossover unit on which at least one fastening element is fastened, wherein the fastening section is provided on the fastening element. The crossover unit can advantageously be designed as a ladder, preferably a telescopic ladder. As a result of the multi-part design, components can if necessary be replaced in the event of damage; or crossover units of different lengths can be used.

[0017] At least one sensor for generating a sensor signal dependent on a state of the crossover apparatus, and at least one alarm unit for generating a preferably acoustic alarm dependent on the sensor signal obtained by the sensor, can also be provided on the cableway vehicle. As a result, an alarm can be generated if the cableway vehicle is moved while the crossover apparatus is coupled to the access unit, whereby the safety of operation can be increased.

[0018] Preferably, the crossover apparatus is designed to allow for a relative movement between the crossover apparatus and the cableway vehicle in the deployed position in the coupled state on the access unit. Any swinging movements of the cableway vehicle can be compensated for as a result.

[0019] The object is further achieved by a cableway according to Claim 12 and by a method according to Claim 16.

[0020] In the following, the present invention is described in greater detail with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, which, by way of example, show schematic and non-limiting advantageous embodiments of the invention. The drawings show: Fig. 1: a cableway vehicle with a crossover apparatus in the coupled state on an access unit of a cableway support, Fig. 2: a cableway vehicle with a crossover apparatus in the stowage position, Fig. 3: a detail view of the upper region of the crossover apparatus in the coupled state on an access unit of a cableway support.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a cableway support 1 of a cableway 2 with a roller set 3 and an access unit 4. The structure of such a cableway 2 is known in principle, which is why only the components essential for the invention are described here. The roller set 3 has a number of rollers 5 arranged one behind the other, on which a conveyor cable 6 of the cableway 2 is guided. The roller set 3 is attached to the cableway support 1 in order to support the load on the conveyor cable 6, and in particular the cableway vehicle 7 arranged thereon, via the cableway support 1 on the ground. Multiple cableway vehicles 7 are usually suspended at a certain distance from one another on the conveyor cable 6. A cableway vehicle 7 can be fastened, for example, to the conveyor cable 6 as shown by means of a releasable clamping mechanism 8, in order to allow decoupling of the cableway vehicle 7 from the conveyor cable 6 at a station.

[0022] The decoupling can take place, for example, in order to reduce speed while traveling through the station in order to enable easier entry and exit of people. However, decoupling can also take place after a cableway has closed, for example, in order to park the cableway vehicle outside operating hours, for example in a suitable garage. Of course, a non-decouplable connection of the cableway vehicle 7 to the conveyor cable 6 would also be possible. In the example shown, the cableway vehicle 7 is designed as a maintenance vehicle which is used for maintenance of the cableway 2. A maintenance vehicle usually has an at least partially open cabin, so that the maintenance vehicle can be exited by a person to perform maintenance. The cabin of the maintenance vehicle can have, for example, a metal frame with a closed base and partially closed side surfaces.

[0023] The access unit 4 of the cableway support 1 is designed in this case as a stairway with a plurality of steps 11, and can be used, for example, for carrying out maintenance work on the roller set 3 or on other parts of the cableway support 1. Due to the design, however, the roller set 3 is generally accessible from the access unit 4 only on one side - from the inner side facing the cableway support 1. The opposite outer side of the roller set 3 cannot be reached from the access unit 4, or can only be reached with difficulty. In the embodiment shown, the maintenance vehicle therefore also has an inspection platform 10 which is arranged in an upper region of the maintenance vehicle. The inspection platform 10 is accessible from the cabin via a ladder 9, which is generally fixed in place. As a result, a person can climb from the cabin onto the inspection platform 10 via the ladder 9, for example in order to carry out certain maintenance activities on the outer side of the roller set 3.

[0024] The access unit 4 can be fastened to the roller set 3 and/or to the cableway support 1 itself. In the example shown, a railing 12 is additionally provided on the steps 11 in order to increase safety for people when using the access unit 4. Of course, this is only an example, and the access unit 4 could also be constructed in any other way and, for example, could have only one platform with or without a railing 12. If the cableway support 1 is designed as a framework construction, the access unit 4 could for example also be directly a part of the cableway support 1.

[0025] A maintenance ladder 13 is indicated schematically on the cableway support 1, and persons, in particular maintenance personnel, can climb up from the ground to the access unit 4 via this ladder. Of course, such a maintenance ladder 13 can also have additional safety elements, for example a type of cage, in order to secure people against falling down. Until now, entry to the access unit 4 has essentially only taken place via such maintenance ladders 13. It can be seen immediately that entry via the maintenance ladder 13 is very strenuous and time-consuming, in particular in the case of very high cableway supports 1, which is of course disadvantageous. In addition, there is the additional difficulty that cableway supports 1 are often arranged in impassable, for example steep, rocky terrain, whereby even reaching the cableway support 1 on the ground is very difficult. In addition, when using a maintenance ladder 13, a person is restricted with regard to baggage such as tools.

[0026] In order to facilitate the access of persons to the access unit 4, according to the invention a crossover apparatus 14 for the crossover of persons from the cableway vehicle 7 to the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1 of the cableway 2 is provided on the cableway vehicle 7 . The crossover apparatus 14 is displaceable relative to the cableway vehicle 7 between a stowage position (Fig. 2), in which the crossover apparatus 14 is stowed on the cableway vehicle 7 and a deployed position shown in Fig. 1, which is provided for carrying out the crossover. A fastening section 15 is provided on the crossover apparatus 14 in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus 14 to the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1 in the deployed position. For this purpose, a suitable support-mounted holding device 16 is preferably also provided on the access unit 4, and corresponds to the fastening section 15 in a suitable manner. The fastening section 15 is preferably designed in such a way that a connection to the access unit 4 that is as stable as possible and that is essentially positive-locking at least on one side, can be achieved. For this purpose, the fastening section 15 can have, for example, at least one receiving opening 20 for receiving a section of the access unit 4, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0027] In an advantageous manner, the crossover apparatus 14 is also designed such that a certain relative movement between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 is possible in the deployed position on the access unit 4 in the coupled state. As a result, it can be ensured that the crossover apparatus 14 remains coupled to the access unit 4 even in the case of swinging movements of the cableway vehicle 7, and does not become detached from the access unit 4 due to the oscillations of the cableway vehicle 7. As a result of the design, oscillations or swinging movements of the cableway vehicle 7 often occur during operation of the cableway 2. Lateral swinging results, for example, from the fact that the cableway vehicle 7 is suspended on the conveyor cable 6 and the conveyor cable 6 serves essentially as an axis of rotation. In the direction of movement, for example, braking and acceleration processes can produce forward and backward swinging. It may also be desirable to allow certain degrees of freedom in the swinging movements. In order to enable this, for example one or more pivotjoints can be provided on the suspension gear of the cableway vehicle 7, for example on a cable clamp with which the cableway vehicle 7 is fixedly or releasably fastened to the conveyor cable 6. Due to the comparatively low mass of a cableway vehicle 7, oscillations which are caused for example by wind forces acting on the cableway vehicle 7 and/or by weight displacement of persons in the cableway vehicle 7 can be relatively easily excited or amplified.

[0028] For this purpose, the cableway vehicle 7 is moved into a crossover position sufficiently close to the access unit 4 and stopped. A person positioned on the cableway vehicle 7 can then manually displace the crossover apparatus 14 from the stowage position into the deployed position and releasably couple the fastening section 15 of the crossover apparatus 14 to the access unit 4, in particular to the support-mounted holding device 16 arranged thereon. After the coupling, the person can cross over to the access unit 4 from the cableway vehicle 7 via the crossover apparatus 14, for example in order to carry out maintenance work on the roller set 3. Since the cableway vehicle 7 can be subjected to certain vibrations as described, for example by the movement of the persons in the cableway vehicle 7, it is advantageous if a certain relative movement is possible between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 in the coupled state on the access unit 4.

However, the maximum permissible relative movement should not be too large, so that the crossover apparatus 14 does not completely detach from the cableway vehicle 7. The degree of freedom of the relative movement could be limited, for example, by a stop (not shown) and/or by a cable (not shown) which connects the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7. At the end of work, the person can return to the cableway vehicle 7 via the crossover apparatus 14 from the access unit 4. The crossover apparatus 14 can then be released from the access unit 4 and moved back from the deployed position into the stowage position, and the cableway vehicle 7 can be moved again, for example to the next cableway support 1, in order to carry out maintenance work there as well.

[0029]In order to increase safety, it can be advantageous if a locking unit 21 is provided on the fastening section 15 of the crossover apparatus 14 in order to lock the crossover apparatus 14, in particular the support-mounted holding device 16 provided thereon, in the deployed position on the access unit 4. As a result, the crossover apparatus 14 can be secured against undesired release. The crossover apparatus 14 preferably has at least one step element and/or holding element 17 for a person to step onto and/or to hold onto. Preferably, a plurality of holding elements 17 is of course provided. It can also be advantageous if a length of the crossover apparatus 14 can be changed in order to adapt the length of the crossover apparatus 14 to a variable distance between the access unit 4 and the cableway vehicle 7. As a result, it is not necessary for the positioning of the cableway vehicle 7 in the crossover position in the region of the access unit 4 to take place very precisely; instead, the length of the crossover apparatus 14 can be easily adjusted and adapted to the distance in question. In the example shown, the crossover apparatus 14 is designed in multiple parts, having a crossover unit 14a on the end of which two fastening elements 15a are arranged, on which the fastening section 15 is provided. The crossover unit 14a can advantageously be designed as a ladder, as in the example shown. For adapting the length, for example, a telescopic ladder can be provided as a crossover unit 14a.

[0030] Only the cableway vehicle 7 is shown in Fig. 2; the conveyor cable 6 and the cableway support 1, including the access unit 4, are not shown for reasons of better clarity. The crossover apparatus 14 is shown here in the stowage position, in which the crossover apparatus 14 is stowed on the cableway vehicle 7. For the operation of the cableway 2, i.e., during the movement of the cableway vehicle 7, the crossover apparatus 14 is preferably in the stowed position shown, and is preferably secured against undesired release on the cableway vehicle 7. For this purpose, a vehicle mounted holding device 18 can also be provided on the cableway vehicle 7 in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus 14 to the cableway vehicle 7 in the stowage position by means of the fastening section 15. If a locking unit 21 is provided on the crossover apparatus 14, the locking unit 21 can also be used to lock the crossover apparatus 14 in the stowage position on the cableway vehicle 7, in particular on the vehicle-mounted holding device 18 provided thereon. As a result, the crossover apparatus 14 is secured against undesired release during the movement of the cableway vehicle 7.

[0031] An access platform 19 can advantageously be provided on an upper region of the cableway vehicle 7. In this case, the vehicle-mounted holding device 18 is advantageously arranged on the access platform 19. In the example shown, the vehicle-mounted holding device 18 has two holding elements 18a which are fastened to the access platform 19 and project beyond the edge of the access platform 19. The two holding elements 18a are connected to a holding rod 18b. In the stowage position shown, the crossover apparatus 14 can be hooked over the holding rod 18b by means of the fastening section 15 in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus 14 to the vehicle-mounted holding device 18.

[0032] In the stowage position, the crossover apparatus 14 can also be used, for example, to reach the access platform 19 from the cabin of the cableway vehicle 7. In the case shown, for example, a first person can climb up to the inspection platform 10 via the ladder 9, and a second person can climb up to the access platform 19 via the crossover apparatus 14. For example, the second person, on the access platform 19, can support the first person on the platform 10 during an inspection of the roller set 3. Of course, a corresponding distance is provided between the access platform 19 and the holding rod 18b for this purpose, which distance is sufficiently large for a person to be able to climb up from the cabin to the access platform 19 via the crossover apparatus 14.

[0033] The crossover apparatus 14 can thus also be used for other things than crossing over of a person to the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1. For example, the cableway vehicle 7 could initially be moved into the crossover position near the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1, and a first person could cross over to the access unit 4 via the crossover apparatus 14. A second person could then move the crossover apparatus 14 back into the stowage position (while the first person is positioned on the access unit 4). The cableway vehicle 7 could then be moved further into a position in which the inspection platform 10 of the cableway vehicle 7 is positioned transverse to the movement direction relative to the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1. As such, the second person could perform maintenance work on the outer side of the roller set 3, and the first person could perform maintenance work on the inner side of the roller set 3.

[0034] Fig. 3 shows a detail view of the upper region of the crossover apparatus 14 in the deployed position in the coupled state on the access unit 4. For a better overview, the remaining components (conveyor cable 6, cableway vehicle 7, cableway support 1) are not shown. In the example shown, a support-mounted holding device 16 is provided on the access unit 4. The support-mounted holding device 16 in this case has two fastening brackets 16a, which are fastened laterally to the lowermost step 11 of the access unit 4. The fastening brackets 16a could, of course, also be integrally formed with the access unit 4. In order to be able to easily retrofit the support-mounted holding device 16 to an existing access unit 4, it is advantageous, however, if it is designed as an independent assembly. The fastening brackets 16a are connected to a connecting rod 16b on which the fastening section 15 of the crossover apparatus 14 is arranged in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus 14 to the access unit 4.

[0035] As described, the crossover apparatus 14 in this case comprises a crossover unit 14a designed as a ladder and two separate fastening elements 15a, which are each fastened laterally at the upper end of the ladders. The fastening section 15 of the crossover apparatus 14 is thus formed on the two fastening elements 15a. As a result, for example, a conventional, commercially available ladder can be used as the crossover unit 14a, wherein the ladder is preferably made of a light, weather-resistant material with sufficient strength, for example aluminum. Of course, the crossover apparatus 14 could also be formed as a single piece with an integral fastening section 15. The use of a ladder and at least one separate fastening element 15a, on which the fastening section 15 is formed, however, has the advantage that the ladder can easily be replaced, for example in the event of damage, and/or that ladders of d ifferent lengths can be used.

[0036] In the embodiment shown, the two fastening elements 15a each have a downwardly open receiving opening 20, by means of which the crossover apparatus 14 can be hooked over the connecting rod 16b of the support-mounted holding device 16 in the deployed position (and analogously on the vehicle-mounted holding device 18 in the stowage position). The receiving openings 20 are preferably sized such that the connecting rod 16b is substantially surrounded in the shape of the letter U by the fastening elements 15a. In order to secure the crossover apparatus 14 against undesired release from the access unit 4, it is advantageous, as already mentioned, if a locking unit 21 is provided on the fastening section 15. In the example shown, a locking element 21a is provided on each of the fastening elements 15a, and is connected in an articulated manner at a pivot point P on each side to the respective fastening elements 15a.

[0037] As a result, the locking elements 21a can be pivoted upward by the connecting rod 16b when the connecting rod 16b is inserted into the receiving openings 20. After the connecting rod 16b has been inserted sufficiently far into the receiving openings 20, the locking elements 21a automatically pivot downwards due to gravity. The free end of the locking elements 21a then rests on an inner surface of the receiving openings 20 opposite the pivot point P, and closes off the open side of the receiving openings 20 from the inside, in a manner similar to a carabiner. The crossover apparatus 14 can thus no longer be unintentionally released from the connecting rod 16b. Safety can be further increased if the locking elements 21a are each preloaded by means of a suitable preload element (not shown), for example a mechanical spring, in the direction of the inner surface of the receiving openings 20 opposite the pivot point P.

[0038] To unlock the locking unit 21, the locking elements 21a can be pivoted sufficientlyfar upward against the force of gravity (and possibly counterto the preload force of the preload elements), such that the connecting rod 16b can be moved out of the receiving openings 20 through the open sides of the receiving openings 20 when the crossover apparatus 14 is lifted. The locking elements 21a can be actuated manually by a person, for example, from the access platform 19. However, a suitable actuating device (not shown) could also be provided in order to pivot the locking elements 21a to unlock the locking unit 21, for example from the cabin of the cableway vehicle 7. As an actuating device, for example, a suitable cable pull could be used, which can, for example, also be arranged inside an upright tube of the ladder. In general, it may also be sufficient for a locking element 21a to be provided only on one of the fastening elements 15a. Of course, the illustrated embodiment of the crossover apparatus 14 is to be understood only by way of example, and the person skilled in the art could also provide other suitable structural designs.

[0039] Preferably, at least one (not shown) sensor is provided on the cableway vehicle 7 and/or on the cableway support 1 in order to generate a sensor signal dependent on a state of the crossover apparatus 14, and at least one alarm unit (not shown) is provided on the cableway support 1 and/or on the cableway vehicle 7 for generating a preferably acoustic alarm dependent on the sensor signal obtained from the sensor. As a result, an alarm can be triggered, for example, if the crossover apparatus 14 is positioned on the access unit 4 in the deployed position in the coupled state and the cableway vehicle 7 begins to move. For example, the sensor could be designed to detect a relative movement or a relative distance between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 as the state of the crossover apparatus 14. When a relative movement occurs or when a certain relative distance between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 is reached or exceeded, a sensor signal can be generated by the sensor, as a result of which the alarm unit triggers an alarm. The generation of a sensor signal is naturally also understood to mean an interruption of a signal.

[0040] In a simple embodiment, for example, a known contact switch could be provided as a sensor, which generates a sensor signal when a contact of the contact switch is interrupted. The interruption of the contact can take place, for example, when a certain relative distance between the crossover apparatus 14 and a component of the cableway vehicle 7 is exceeded, as a result of which an alarm is triggered by the alarm unit. When the alarm is triggered, the operator of the cableway 2 can react, and, for example, can stop the movement of the cableway vehicle 7. It would be conceivable, for example, to provide a first contact element of the contact switch on the crossover apparatus 14 and a second contact element of the contact switch on a component of the cableway vehicle 7, for example on the vehicle-mounted holding device 18, which contact element is in electrical contact during normal operation.

[0041]As long as the relative distance between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 is less than a certain trigger distance, the contact between the contact elements will be preserved. If the release distance is reached or exceeded, the contact between the contact elements will be interrupted. The interruption of the electrical contact thus corresponds to the generation of the sensor signal. The alarm unit consequently triggers the alarm when the contact is interrupted. In order to further increase safety, the cableway 2 could also have a control unit for controlling a drive of the cableway 2, which control unit is provided to control the drive of the cableway according to the sensor signal obtained from the sensor. As a result, the drive of the cableway 2 can be automatically stopped when the sensor signal is received, for example, without an operator of the cableway 2 having to stop the cableway 2 in response to the alarm signal.

[0042] Finally, it should be noted again that the described embodiments are only to be understood as examples and are not restrictive. In addition to the embodiments shown, further variants would of course also be conceivable, which are at the discretion of the person skilled in the art. For example, a person skilled in the art can adapt the invention to the specific conditions of a cableway, for example to different forms of cableway supports 1, access units 4, etc.

Claims (18)

Claims

1. Cableway vehicle (7) for a cableway (2), characterized in that a crossover apparatus (14) is provided on the cableway vehicle (7) for the crossover of persons from the cableway vehicle (7) to an access unit (4) of a cableway support (1) of the cableway (2), the crossover apparatus (14) being displaceable relative to the cableway vehicle (7) between a stowage position in which the crossover apparatus (14) is stowed on the cableway vehicle (7) and a deployed position intended for carrying out the crossover, wherein a fastening section (15) is provided on the crossover apparatus (14) to releasably couple the crossover apparatus (14) to the access unit (4) of the cableway support (1) in the deployed position.

2. Cableway vehicle (7) according to Claim 1, characterized in that a vehicle mounted holding device (18) is provided on the cableway vehicle (7) in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus (14) in the stowage position to the cableway vehicle (7) by means of the fastening section (15).

3. Cableway vehicle (7) according to Claim 2, characterized in that the cableway vehicle (7) is designed as a maintenance vehicle, wherein an access platform (19) for persons is provided in an upper region of the cableway vehicle (7) and the vehicle-mounted holding device (18) is arranged on the access platform (19).

4. Cableway vehicle (7) according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a locking unit (21) is provided on the fastening section (15) of the crossover apparatus (14) in order to lock the crossover apparatus (14) in the deployed position on the access unit (4) and/or in the stowage position on the cableway vehicle (7), in particular on the vehicle-mounted holding device (18).

5. Cableway vehicle (7) according to Claim 4, characterized in that the locking unit (21) has at least one locking element (21a), the locking element (21a) preferably being preloaded by means of at least one preload element.

6. Cableway vehicle (7) according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the crossover apparatus (14) has at least one step element and/or holding element (17) for a person to step on and/or to hold onto.

7. Cableway vehicle (7) according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a length of the crossover apparatus (14) can be changed in order to adapt the length of the crossover apparatus (14) to a variable distance between the access unit (4) and the cableway vehicle (7).

8. Cableway vehicle (7) according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the crossover apparatus (14) is formed as a single piece, or in that the crossover apparatus (14) has a crossover unit on which at least one fastening element (15a) is fastened, the fastening section (15) being provided on the fastening element (15a).

9. Cableway vehicle (7) according to Claim 8, characterized in that the crossover unit is designed as a ladder, preferably a telescopic ladder.

10. Cableway vehicle (7) according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that at least one sensor for generating a sensor signal dependent on a state of the crossover apparatus (14) and at least one alarm unit for generating a preferably acoustic alarm dependent on the sensor signal obtained from the sensor are provided on the cableway vehicle (7).

11. Cableway vehicle (7) according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the crossover apparatus (14) is designed to enable a relative movement between the crossover apparatus (14) and the cableway vehicle (7) in the deployed position in the coupled state on the access unit (4).

12. Cableway (2) comprising at least one cableway support (1) for guiding a conveying cable (6) of the cableway (2) and comprising at least one cableway vehicle (7) arranged on the conveying cable (6), wherein an access unit (4) is provided on the cableway support (1) for the access of persons, characterized in that the cableway vehicle (7) is designed according to any one of Claims 1 to 11.

13. Cableway (2) according to Claim 12, characterized in that a support mounted holding device (16) is provided on the access unit (4) in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus (14) to the access unit (4) by means of the fastening section (15) in the deployed position.

14. Cableway (2) according to Claims 12 or 13, characterized in that at least one sensorfor generating a sensor signal dependent on a state of the crossover apparatus (14) is provided on the cableway support (1) and/or on the cableway vehicle (7) and that at least one alarm unit for generating a preferably acoustic alarm dependent on the sensor signal obtained from the sensor is provided in the cableway (2), preferably on the cableway support (1) and/or on the cableway vehicle (7).

15. Cableway (2) according to Claim 14, characterized in that the cableway (2) has a control unit for controlling a drive of the cableway (2), the control unit being configured to control the drive of the cableway (2) dependent on the sensor signal obtained from the sensor.

16. Method for carrying out a crossover of a person from a cableway vehicle (7) of a cableway (2) to an access unit (4) of a cableway support (1) of the cableway (2), characterized in that the cableway vehicle (7) is moved into a crossover position in the region of the access unit (4), in that a crossover apparatus (14) provided on the cableway vehicle (7) is moved from a stowage position in which the crossover apparatus (14) is stowed on the cableway vehicle (7) into a deployed position for carrying out the crossover, in that a fastening section (15) of the crossover apparatus is releasably coupled to the access unit (4), and in that the person crosses over from the cableway vehicle (7) to the access unit (4) via the crossover apparatus (14).

17. Method according to Claim 16, characterized in that the crossover apparatus (14) is locked to the access unit (4) in the deployed position by means of a locking unit (21).

18. Method according to Claims 16 or 17, characterized in that a preferably acoustic alarm is triggered if the cableway vehicle (7) is moved in the coupled state of the crossover apparatus (14) on the access unit (4).