CN118076526A - Transport facility - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transport facility (100), which has a first traction cable (11), the first traction cable (11) forming a first closed loop (10) and configured to be driven by at least a first drive device (12) at a nominal line speed, and the transport facility (100) has a vehicle (30), the vehicle (30) having a coupling device (31) for coupling the vehicle to the first traction cable, the transport facility comprising at least a first circulation path (101), the first circulation path (101) having at least a first section (110), the first section (110) comprising at least one travel path (111) extending along the first traction cable (11), the first circulation path (101) comprising at least a second section (120), the transport facility being configured so that the vehicle is coupled to the first traction cable and is towed by the first traction cable at a nominal line speed so that the vehicle passes through the first section and the second section, the first traction cable fully supporting the vehicle and driving the vehicle at the nominal line speed along the second section.

Description

Transport facilities

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the technical field of transport facilities, in particular suspended transport facilities, typically for transporting passengers.

Background technique

Today, there are many types of transport facilities (especially those suspended by overhead cables) that are mainly used in mountainous areas, but can also be used in other environments such as urban transportation. Other types of suspended cable transport facilities are also used in amusement parks.

In fact, amusement parks do have suspended rides, in which vehicles for transporting people are suspended above the ground and carried by suspended tracks, and each vehicle includes load-bearing wheels attached to the top of the vehicle so that the load-bearing wheels roll along the track. The above-mentioned rides can also be of different types, for example, they are designed to provide an intense sensory experience when their routes include slopes with large gradients and significant changes in height; or they are designed to provide an exploration experience when their tracks include slopes with gentle gradients and small changes in height, so that visitors can visit themed locations. Generally, "exploration" type rides are usually self-propelled and have a slower speed compared to so-called "intense sensory" rides, where the vehicles are usually passive and accelerated by gravity.

In order to move the vehicle along the track of the exploration ride, the wheels of the vehicle are usually driven by electric motors mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle may also include several electric motors capable of driving wheels or pairs of wheels individually. However, such electric motors are bulky and make the vehicle more cumbersome. Furthermore, batteries must be provided on the vehicle to power the electric motors, which makes the vehicle more cumbersome and the self-propelled vehicle is also sensitive to environmental conditions. Furthermore, the electric motors of each vehicle must be synchronized with each other to avoid any risk of collision between the vehicles.

Patent application FR 3,044,627 proposes a solution specifically for the above-mentioned drawbacks and describes an elevated transport facility comprising at least one circulation path for vehicles, said circulation path comprising a main track suspended above the ground and having at least one curvature, and comprising at least one vehicle provided with a main wheel set configured to roll on the main track. The circulation path comprises an elevated traction cable, a drive device configured to drive the cable and a guide device configured to guide the cable along the main track, the vehicle comprising a fastening device configured to attach the vehicle to the cable. Thus, by equipping the elevated transport facility with a traction cable and attaching the vehicles to the traction cable, it is possible to provide a facility that allows the vehicles to be brought closer together without collision problems and increases the speed of movement of the vehicles relative to the exploration ride. Since the vehicles are attached to the same traction cable during transportation, such a device can increase passenger flow while reducing the risk of collisions between the vehicles while transporting passengers.

However, this type of installation is not suitable when the elevation of the location is too significant or too sudden, since the track does not allow the vehicle to travel on sections with significant inclinations. In addition, the system is not suitable for certain environments because, even if the track can make sharp turns, the track requires a large number of support towers, which make the facility bulky when it is desired to cross long obstacles (for example, across steep areas or rivers).

Therefore, the terrain where the overhead cable or suspended transport facility is located is very restricted and therefore the uses are also limited.

Summary of the invention

The present invention aims to overcome all or some of the disadvantages of the prior art by in particular proposing a solution suitable for more different terrains while ensuring improved safety for users, in particular by reducing the risk of collisions between vehicles and making it possible to increase the transportation flow of passengers.

To this end, a transport facility is proposed, the transport facility having at least one first traction cable, the first traction cable forming a first closed loop and configured to be driven by at least one first driving device at a nominal linear speed, and the transport facility having at least one vehicle, the at least one vehicle having a coupling device configured to couple the vehicle to the first traction cable, the transport facility comprising at least a first circulating path, the first circulating path having at least a first section, the first section comprising at least one travel path extending along the first traction cable, the travel path having at least one curvature, the vehicle having a group of load-bearing wheels and a group of guide wheels, the load-bearing wheels and the guide wheels being configured to travel on the travel path at a nominal linear speed, the first circulating path comprising at least a second section, the transport facility being configured so that the vehicle is coupled to the first traction cable and is towed by the first traction cable at a nominal linear speed so that the vehicle travels on the first section and the second section, the transport facility being characterized in that it is configured so that the first traction cable completely carries the vehicle and drives the vehicle at a nominal linear speed along the second section.

By the combination of the above features, the vehicle can travel along the first circulation path through different sections, in particular: through at least a first section, in which the vehicle is carried and guided along a travel path that can describe a desired curve, the vehicle being circulated at a nominal linear speed by being towed by a first traction cable; and through at least a second section, in which the vehicle is completely towed by the first traction cable and travels at a nominal linear speed. In particular, on the second section (several sections) along the first circulation path, the vehicle is completely suspended by the associated load-bearing cables, and may or may not require a supporting tower, which enables the vehicle to cross long steep areas. In this suspended configuration, when the vehicle moves along the second section, the load-bearing wheels of the load-bearing wheel set are in a passive state and in suspension. The term "suspended" means that the bottom of the vehicle remains free, and the load-bearing wheels of the load-bearing wheel set are out of the travel path and no longer stay on the travel path.

Furthermore, since the vehicle along the second section of the first circulation path is fully loaded and towed, the vehicle can circulate on inclined sections with a significant slope (the absolute value of the slope is typically greater than 15%). Of course, in practice the slope may be different.

According to one embodiment, the transport facility includes at least a second traction cable, which forms a second closed loop and is configured to be driven by at least one second drive device at a nominal linear speed. The transport facility includes at least a second circulation path and is configured so that a vehicle travels from one of the first circulation path and the second circulation path to the other circulation path in at least one transition area, and is configured so that the vehicle is coupled to the second traction cable and the vehicle is towed by the second traction cable at the nominal linear speed so as to travel on at least a portion of the second circulation path.

With this configuration, multiple cable loops can be used, allowing the vehicle to travel along a much longer route than a single cable, regardless of the terrain. This also makes it possible to use an appropriate nominal line speed, as a given drive may limit the nominal line speed if the loop length is too long.

According to one embodiment, the second endless path has at least a first section, the first section comprising at least one travel path extending along the second traction cable, the travel path of the first section having at least one curvature, the load-bearing wheels and the guide wheels of the vehicle being configured to travel on the travel path at a nominal linear speed.

According to one embodiment, the transition region includes a portion of a continuous transition path of travel (preferably a straight line), which extends from the path of travel portion of the first section of the first circulation path to the path of travel portion of the first section of the second circulation path. The transition path of travel or the merged path of travel makes it possible to locally connect two circulation paths (i.e., the first circulation path and the second circulation path). In a configuration in which the first closed loop formed by the first traction cable and the second traction cable intersect, they are tangent at two points, and there is a transition path of travel at each of these two intersections. Of course, more than two (for example three or four) cable loops can be provided, the number depending on the required scope of the transport facility, and the cable loops are preferably placed in series and intersected in pairs.

According to one embodiment, the coupling device of the vehicle comprises a decoupling device for releasing the vehicle from the traction cable coupled thereto of the first traction cable and the second traction cable and then coupling the vehicle to the other traction cable of the first traction cable and the second traction cable.

According to one embodiment, the transport facility comprises at least one boarding station and/or alighting station, and when the vehicle is in the boarding position and/or the alighting position in the boarding station and/or the alighting station, the separation device is in the separation position. In a specific configuration, the boarding station and/or the alighting station can be located in the transition zone. Of course, other alternative locations of the boarding station and/or the alighting station can be envisaged, or even a complementary location of another boarding station and/or the alighting station.

According to one embodiment, the second circulation path includes at least a second section, the transport facility is configured so that the vehicle is coupled to the second traction cable and is towed by the second traction cable at a nominal line speed so that the vehicle travels on the first section and the second section, and the transport facility is configured so that the second traction cable fully carries the vehicle and drives the vehicle along the second section at the nominal line speed.

According to one embodiment, the first traction cable is straight along the second section of the first endless path, and preferably the second traction cable is straight along the second section of the second endless path. In other words, the part of the vehicle carried by the associated traction cable is straight.

According to one embodiment, the transport facility comprises a guiding device configured to guide an associated traction cable along a travel path of a first section of an associated endless path.

According to one embodiment, the guiding means comprises a vertical guiding means and a horizontal guiding means. In this way, the associated traction cable can be guided along a horizontal curve and a curved curve or a combination of a horizontal curve and a curved curve.

According to one embodiment, the travel path comprises two tracks spaced apart in a regular manner.

According to one embodiment, the first traction cable constitutes a single drive cable for the vehicle along the first endless path, and/or the second traction cable constitutes a single drive cable for the vehicle along the second endless path.

According to one embodiment, the first traction cable constitutes a single vehicle support along the second section of the first endless path and/or the second traction cable constitutes a single vehicle support along the second section of the second endless path.

According to one embodiment, the first section is placed in series with the first section of the associated circulation path.

According to another aspect of the present invention, it relates to a method of using the transport facility as described above, the method comprising at least the following steps:

- a first step: the vehicle circulates along a first section, during which the set of load-bearing wheels and the set of guide wheels of the vehicle travel on a travel path, the vehicle being driven by a traction cable at a nominal linear speed; and

- Second step: the vehicle circulates along the second section, during which the first traction cable fully carries the vehicle and drives the vehicle at the nominal linear speed along the second section.

Preferably, these two steps are carried out directly one after the other in one direction (from the first circulation step to the second circulation step) and/or in the other direction (from the second circulation step to the first circulation step).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[FIG. 1] is a schematic top view of an embodiment of a transportation facility according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[FIG. 2] is a side view of a track portion of a vehicle equipment of the transportation facility according to FIG. 1;

[Figure 3]: Detail of Figure 1;

[FIG. 4] is a schematic cross-sectional view of the transportation facility shown in FIG. 1 at a boarding station and/or an alighting station;

[FIG. 5]: A schematic cross-sectional view of the transport facility according to FIG. 1 , taken from the section carried by the traction cable, i.e. when passing through the tower;

[Fig. 6]: A schematic cross-sectional view of the transport facility according to Fig. 1, taken from the part carried by the traction cable;

[Fig. 7]: A schematic cross-sectional view of the transport facility according to Fig. 1, taken from the rolling part of the vehicle on the track;

[FIG. 8] is a schematic top view of an embodiment of a transportation facility according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[Figure 9]: Details of an alternative embodiment of Figure 8.

For greater clarity, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 ([FIG. 1]) shows a transport facility 100, which includes a first traction cable 11 for towing one or more vehicles 30 above the ground. The first traction cable 11 forms a first closed loop 10 and is configured to be driven at a nominal line speed by a first drive device 12. The first traction cable 11 defines a first loop path 101 along which the vehicles 30 are towed, and the transport facility 100 includes a guide device for guiding the first traction cable 11 along the first loop path 101.

In this embodiment, the transport facility 100 further comprises a second traction cable 21 which forms a second closed loop 20 and is configured to be driven at a nominal line speed by a second drive device 22. The second traction cable 21 defines a second endless path 102.

The two closed loops 10, 20 formed by the first traction cable 11 and the second traction cable 21 intersect or overlap, respectively, so that two different intersection points are presented between the first traction cable 11 and the second traction cable 21, and each of these intersection points is located in the transition area 103. The transportation facility 100 is configured so that the vehicle 30 passes from one of the first and second circulation paths 101, 102 to the other on each transition area 103. In this way, each vehicle travels along the tracks successively delineated by the first and second traction cables 11, 21, and along the circulation paths carried by the first and second circulation paths 101, 102.

The transportation facility 100 also includes at least one passenger boarding and/or unboarding station 150 for the vehicles 30 .

The drive devices 12, 22 are configured to drive the associated traction cables 11, 21 along the respective loop paths 101, 102. The drive devices 12, 22 are preferably located in a station called a drive station. Each drive station is located in the indoor space of the closed loop 10, 20 of the associated traction cables 11, 21, preferably in the intersection area of the two indoor spaces. In this way, the drive station deviates from the respective loop paths 101, 102.

With reference to FIG. 3 ([FIG. 3]), each drive device 12, 22 comprises an electric motor M1, M2, a drive pulley P1, P2 driven by the associated electric motor M1, M2, and the drive pulley P1, P2 is configured to drive the associated traction cable 11, 21. Each drive device 12, 22 also comprises a device (not shown) for tensioning the associated traction cable 11, 21. The tensioning device may comprise (for example, comprises two) deflection pulleys arranged on either side of the drive pulleys P1, P2 so as to deflect the associated traction cable 11, 21 in the direction of the drive pulleys P1, P2. The drive pulleys P1, P2 and the corresponding deflection pulleys have a horizontal axis of rotation. Alternatively, the tensioning device may comprise a single deflection pulley, also referred to as a slewing pulley. According to this alternative, the axes of rotation of the drive pulleys P1, P2 and the slewing pulley are vertical.

The facility 100 may include a single vehicle 30 or multiple vehicles. In addition, each circulation path 101, 102 may include one or more vehicles 30. Each vehicle 30 includes a carriage 300 as shown in Figures 4 to 7, in particular and/or includes one or more seats for transporting passengers.

Each vehicle 30 comprises a coupling device 31 configured to couple the vehicle 30 to an associated cable, that is, to the first traction cable 11 or the second traction cable 21, depending on its position on the track. In this way, the vehicle 30 is attached to the first traction cable 11 or the second traction cable 21 and is pulled by the associated traction cable 11, 21 at a nominal line speed to travel on at least a portion of the associated first or second loop path 101, 102.

The term “nominal line speed” is understood to mean the cruising speed at which the vehicle 30 travels in the transport position, which also corresponds to the speed of the traction cables 11 , 21 associated therewith.

More specifically, the first and second circulating paths 101, 102 each include at least one first section 110, which includes at least one travel path 111, 211 and extends along the first or second traction cable 11, 21. The vehicle 30 includes a set of load-bearing wheels 32 and a set of guide wheels, which are configured to roll on the above-mentioned travel paths 111, 211 at a nominal linear speed.

In this embodiment, each travel path 111, 211 includes at least one bearing structure (e.g., at least one track), and the bearing structure herein includes two tracks 111', 211', which are spaced apart in a regular manner and extend along the associated first traction cable or second traction cable 11, 21. In another alternative, the bearing structure may include one or more bearing cables instead of bearing tracks. Along such a first section 110, 210, the vehicle 30 is carried by the bearing structure carrying the travel path 111, 211, and the wheels with bearing and guiding functions circulate on the travel path 111, 211. Each travel path 111, 211 has at least one curvature to guide the vehicle 30 at different positions (especially non-aligned positions). The curvature can be a horizontal curvature or a vertical curvature. The horizontal curvature can be internal, toward the inside of the corresponding closed loop 10, 20, or external, toward the outside of the closed loop 10, 20. The vertical curvature (see in particular FIG. 2 ([FIG. 2]) may be upwards or downwards relative to the vertical axis Z. The curvature may of course be a combination of these types of curvature.

The transport facility 100 comprises a guide device 140 configured to guide the associated traction cables 11, 21 along the travel path 111, 211 of the first section 110, 210 of the associated circulating path 101, 102. The guide device 140 comprises a vertical guide device 141 and a horizontal guide device 142. The guide device 140 may comprise a roller 140', i.e. a small wheel with a groove so that the traction cables 11, 21 can pass in the groove. Typically, the roller 140' is positioned along the first section 110 of the circulating path 101, 102 so that the associated traction cables 11, 21 follow the vertical curvature and the horizontal curvature of the circulating path 101, 102.

The guide devices 140 are spaced apart along each travel path 111, 211 in groups of vertical guide devices 141 and horizontal guide devices 142 to guide the traction cables 11, 21 along the curvature. Each group of guide devices 140 includes two vertical guide devices 141 and two horizontal guide devices 142, which are radially distributed around the associated traction cables 11, 21. In particular, the two vertical guide devices 141 are positioned vertically opposite to each other on either side of the associated traction cables 11, 21, including a lower roller and an upper roller, and the two horizontal guide devices 142 are positioned laterally opposite to each other on either side of the associated traction cables 11, 21, including two side rollers.

Of course, the endless paths 101, 102 may include an inclined curvature, i.e. a curvature that is not completely vertical or not completely horizontal, and the roller 140' may also be inclined to guide the traction cables 11, 21 along the first sections 110, 210 of the endless paths 101, 102.

The first endless path 101 further comprises at least a second section 120, the transport facility 100 being configured such that the vehicle 30 is coupled to the first traction cable 11 and is tractioned by the first traction cable 11 at a nominal linear velocity, so that the vehicle 30 travels the first section 110 and the second section 120, the transport facility 100 being configured such that the first traction cable 11 completely carries the vehicle 30 and drives the vehicle 30 at the nominal linear velocity along the second section 120. In other words, the first traction cable 11 constitutes the only driving cable of the vehicle 30 along the first endless path 101 and bears all the weight of the vehicle 30 at the coupling device 31 along this second section 120. The first traction cable 11 has a straight cable route along the second section 120 of the first endless path 101. The vehicle 30 moves along such a second section 120 while being completely carried by the first traction cable 11, so that the required fixing structure in this section is limited to the traction cable 11, or the required fixing structure may even be a support tower 60 for fixing and suspending the traction cable 11 above the ground.

FIG. 2 (FIG. 2) shows in particular a side view of such a second section 120, which in particular has a highly inclined portion which is typically greater than 15%. This inclination is possible due to the fact that the traction cable 11 is pulled on the second section 120 and simultaneously carries the vehicle 30.

In this embodiment, the second loop path 102 does not include the second section 120. It should be understood that the second loop path 102 may include one or more second sections similar to the first loop path 101, depending on the topography of the environment in which the transport facility 100 is located. In this case, the characteristics of the second sections are the same.

According to one embodiment, the coupling device 31 comprises a fixing clamp 34 to couple the vehicle 30 to the traction cables 11, 21. Along the loop path, the vehicles are attached to the traction cables 11, 21 in an equidistant manner.

In a configuration not shown, the coupling device 31 permanently couples the vehicle 30 to the traction cables 11, 21. In this configuration, the drive devices 12, 22 must be stopped so that the vehicle 30 remains stationary in order for passengers to board or leave the vehicle 30. However, this configuration is only possible when the transport facility 100 comprises only a single closed loop 10.

According to a preferred embodiment, the coupling device 31 comprises a detachable clamp 34 for removably coupling the vehicle 30 to the traction cables 11, 21. When the vehicle 30 is in the boarding position and/or the disembarking position in the boarding and/or disembarking station 150, in particular, the detaching device 33 is in the detaching position. The detachable clamp 34 can be opened to detach the vehicle 30 from the traction cables 11, 21, or closed to clamp the traction cables 11, 21 in order to tow the vehicle 30, in other words, to mechanically connect the vehicle 30 to the traction cables 11, 21. In other words, the vehicle 30 is attached to the traction cables 11, 21 between the two stations 150, is towed at the nominal speed of the traction cables 11, 21, in particular along the first and second sections 110, 120. When the vehicle 30 enters the station 150, the vehicle 30 can be detached from the traction cables 11, 21.

Each transition area 103 includes a portion of a continuous transition travel path 311 (preferably a straight line) extending from the travel path portion 111 of the first section 110 of the first loop path 101 to the travel path portion 211 of the first section 210 of the second loop path 102. In this way, even if the first and second loop paths 101, 102 have traction cables 11, 21, respectively, they are connected via the transition travel path 311, which continuously connects the travel path 111 of the first section 110 of the first loop path 101 and the travel path 211 of the first section 210 of the second loop path 102. In the same manner as at the station 150, when the vehicle 30 enters the transition area 103, the vehicle 30 can be detached from one of the two original traction cables 11, 21 and then recoupled to the other of the two destination traction cables 11, 21 in the circulation direction.

As in the transition area 103, in the boarding and/or disembarking station 150, when the vehicle 30 is disconnected from the corresponding traction cable 11, 21, the vehicle 30 is suspended and fixed on the load-bearing structure (here, the rails 111', 211'). Therefore, the disconnected vehicle 30 can move at a speed lower than the associated traction cable 11, 21, and therefore lower than the nominal speed, in particular to facilitate passengers getting on and off at the station 150. The movement of the vehicle 30 in the station 150 is provided by the electric drive wheel 45.

More specifically, the vehicle 30 comprises a group of load-bearing wheels 32 and a group of guide wheels, which are configured to roll on the track of each travel path 111, 211 from the first section 110, 210 of the associated circulation path 101, 102, in particular on the track. In this embodiment, the vehicle 30 comprises a carriage 40, which is equipped with two pairs of load-bearing wheels 32 and a coupling device 31. When the vehicle 30 circulates along the first section 110, 210 of the associated circulation path 101, 102, the load-bearing wheels 32 are in an active state. On the contrary, when the vehicle 30 circulates along the second section 120 (in particular, along the second section of the first circulation path 101), these load-bearing wheels 32 are in a passive state, because on these second sections, the vehicle 30 is completely moved and carried by the load-bearing cable 11. Therefore, the load-bearing wheels 32 do not need to be electrically powered. Preferably, the load-bearing wheels 32 are mounted to rotate freely on the two pairs of side ends of the carriage 40. The guide rollers 46 arranged below the carriage 45 are configured so that each can abut against one side of the corresponding rail 111', 211'. In this way, the carriage 45 can roll on the travel path 111, 211 with its bearing wheels 32, while the lateral guidance is ensured by the guide rollers 46 (here four in number). The rollers 46 are preferably stressed by elastic stressing means (not shown) to avoid any play.

Furthermore, the vehicle 30 comprises a hanger 37 to which the car 300 is attached, in particular connecting the car 300 with the carriage 40. Preferably, the hanger 37 is connected to the carriage 40 by a pivoting link, allowing a swinging movement of the car 300 relative to the carriage 40. In particular, a first pivoting connection between the hanger 37 and the carriage 40 is located, in particular, at the upper end of the hanger 37 and allows the hanger 37 to pivot relative to the carriage 40 about an axis parallel to the transverse reference axis of the carriage, i.e. a horizontal axis at least locally orthogonal to the portion of the associated traction cables 11, 21 on which the vehicle 30 is located. Thus, this first pivoting allows a pitching movement of the hanger 37 and therefore of the car 300 relative to the carriage 40. Preferably, the hanger 37 is connected to the car 300 via a second pivot link 42, particularly at the lower end portion of the hanger 37 opposite to its upper end, and allows swinging movement of the car 300 relative to the hanger 37, particularly rolling movement of the car 300 relative to the hanger 37.

The coupling device 31 comprises a detachable clamp 34, which comprises a clamp that can be opened and closed on the traction cables 11, 21. The clamp comprises two jaws, which are opposite to each other relative to a horizontal reference axis in this context, and when the vehicle 30 is coupled to the traction cables 11, 21, the traction cables 11, 21 are clamped between the two jaws of the clamp. The detachable clamp 34 also comprises one or more springs 35 so that the clamp remains closed on the traction cables 11, 21. In addition, the detachable clamp 34 comprises a lever 36, which abuts against the spring 35 to open the clamp. The lever 36 is actuated not only in the boarding and alighting stations 150 and the transition area 103, but also when it is possible to couple and decouple the vehicle 30 from the traction cables 11, 21. The detachable clamp 34 is mounted on the bracket 40 via a support arm 41.

The fixed structure of the transport facility 100 comprises in particular supporting means, in this case towers 60, for supporting the traction cables 11, 21 and the local load-bearing means above the ground along the second section 120. Each tower 60 comprises a support 61 extending perpendicularly to the direction of travel of the traction cables 11, 21 and having at least one end 62 on which a support roller 63 is mounted. Each pulley 63 comprises a groove for receiving the traction cables 11, 21 when a vehicle passes over the tower 60. In particular, some towers 60 located at the second section 120 of the first circulation path 101 only support these support pulleys 63 (see FIG. 5 ([FIG. 5]).

Some other towers 60 also support at least one supporting frame 70 of the travel paths 111, 211 of the first sections 110, 210 of the first and second circulation paths 101, 102. The frame 70 is "C"-shaped and open to the ground. In other words, the frame 70 has a hollow shape, the bracket 40 is placed inside the hollow shape, and is open at the bottom downward relative to the reference vertical direction Z. The lower opening of the frame 70 is defined on both sides by two rails 111' and 211'. The two rails 111' and 211' form a load-bearing structure and carry the associated travel paths 111 and 211. The guide device 140 (in particular, each set of vertical guide devices 141 and horizontal guide devices 142) is fixedly mounted on this frame 70. Similar to the support pulley 63 on the first section 110, 210, the lower roller participating in the vertical guidance also plays the role of supporting the associated traction cables 11, 21.

The suspension and support frame 70 of the travel paths 111, 211 also supports motorized drive wheels 45 to ensure the movement of the vehicle 30 in the station 150 and in the transition area 103. In this embodiment, the drive rollers 45 are formed by tires so that sufficient grip can be provided to allow the vehicle 30 to slow down or accelerate when the disconnecting device 33 is disengaged and engaged, and to maintain the nominal linear speed as much as possible when passing through the transition area 103, in particular when passing through the transition travel path 311 (see Figure 3 ([Figure 3]).

The contactor 47 integral with the bracket 45 can maintain electrical contact with an electrical track integral with the frame 70, which is located in the interior space of the frame 70. In this way, electrical energy can be supplied to the electrical equipment of the vehicle 30.

4 to 7 show schematic side views of the transport facility 100 , and more specifically, schematic side views of the vehicle 30 at different positions of the endless paths 101 , 102 during its movement.

In particular, Fig. 4 ([Fig. 4]) shows a schematic diagram along the section A-A of the transport facility 100 of Fig. 1, i.e., a schematic diagram taken at the boarding station and/or the disembarking station 150, with the detachable clamp 34 in the detached position. Fig. 7 ([Fig. 7]) is similar to this figure and shows a schematic diagram of the D-D section of the transport facility 100 in Fig. 1 ([Fig. 1]), taken from the rolling part of the vehicle 30 on the track 111', 211' of the first section of the first circulation path 101 or the second circulation path 102, outside the boarding station and/or the disembarking station 150, with the detachable clamp 34 in the closed position coupled to the traction cable.

FIG5 ([FIG5]) shows a schematic diagram of the transport facility 100 along the section B-B of FIG1 ([FIG1]), which is taken at the part where the first traction cable 11 is loaded, i.e., taken along the second section of the first circulation path 101 when passing through the supporting tower 60 of the first traction cable 11. It should be noted that, in order to improve the readability of FIG1 ([FIG1]), not all towers 60 are shown in the figure.

Figure 6 ([Figure 6]) shows a schematic diagram of the section C-C of the transport facility 100 along Figure 1 ([Figure 1]), which section is taken from the part that is completely carried by the first traction cable 11, that is, from the second section along the first circulation path 101.

Thanks to this transport facility 100, the vehicle 30 can travel along the first and second loop paths 101, 102, passing through different sections (especially the first section 110, 210) on the way, in which the vehicle 30 is carried and guided under the traction of the first traction cables 11, 21, so as to travel successively along the travel paths 111, 211 at a nominal linear speed and form a curve according to the required trajectory. When the geographical conditions of the location of the transport facility 100 are too limited, for example, when there is a river on the path shown in Figure 1 ([Figure 1]), the second section 120 is equipped with the transport facility 100 on the route of the vehicle 30, and the vehicle 30 is completely carried by the traction cables 11, 21 along the route and driven at the nominal linear speed.

FIG8 ([FIG8]) shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a transport facility 100, which differs essentially from the above-described embodiments in that it comprises a single single-cable loop (i.e. a single first traction cable 11). Another difference resulting from this configuration is that the drive station comprising the drive device 12 is located in the lateral space of the closed loop 10 of the first traction cable 11 (here on the inside), rather than in the intersection area between the closed loops of the two cables 11, 21. Of course, the drive station comprising the drive device 12 can also be located outside the closed loop 10, which depends in particular on the geometry of the carriage 40 and on the geometry of the coupling device 31, but also on the topography of the external environment. Therefore, a transmission device similar to the transmission device used in the boarding station and/or the alighting station 150 or in the transition area 103 must be provided. In this case, two situations can be envisaged.

As shown in FIG. 8 ( FIG. 8 ), in a first configuration, the electric motor is located in the boarding and/or disembarking station 150, which is therefore also the driving station: in this configuration, the transmission device including the driving roller 45 is configured to allow the vehicle 30 to be decelerated at the station entrance and accelerated at the station exit, and includes a coupling device 31, the clamp 34 of which is detachable so as to disconnect the vehicle 30 from the traction cable 11 and to removably couple the vehicle 30 to the traction cable 11 when the vehicle 30 passes through the driving device 12. In this configuration, after the vehicle has been separated by the separation device 33, the tires forming the driving roller 45 decelerate the vehicle 30 at a disembarking-boarding speed of, for example, 0.25 m/s, and then the tires forming the driving roller 45 accelerate the vehicle 30 to the nominal linear speed of the first traction cable 11 so as to be coupled by the separation device 33. Thus, the separation device 33 is configured to release the vehicle 30 from its attachment to the first traction cable 11 upstream of the drive device 12 (particularly the drive pulley P1) and then couple the vehicle 30 to the same first traction cable 11 downstream of the drive device 12 (particularly the drive pulley P1). Thus, the transmission device is similar to the transmission device used at the boarding station and/or the disembarking station 150 in the above-described embodiments.

In a second configuration, as shown in FIG. 9 ([FIG. 9]), the motor is located outside the boarding station and/or the unloading station, so that in this case the transfer device is similar to the transfer device used at the transfer area 103 in the above-described embodiment. In summary, everything is the same as in the station, except that the tires forming the drive rollers 45 are set to keep the vehicle 30 at a speed equal to the nominal linear speed of the first traction cable 11. Therefore, the vehicle is guided along a transfer track similar to the transition travel path 311, except that the separation device 33 is configured to release the vehicle 30 from the first traction cable 11 to which it is attached upstream of the drive device 12 (in particular, the drive pulley P1), and then couple the vehicle 30 to the same first traction cable 11 downstream of the drive device 12 (in particular, the drive pulley P1).

Of course, the present invention has been described above by way of example, and it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art can produce different variant embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It should be emphasized that all features known to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims, even if they have been specifically described individually or in any combination with respect to other determined features, may be combined with other features or groups of features disclosed herein, as long as they are not explicitly excluded and there are no technical circumstances that make such a combination impossible or unreasonable.

Claims (16)

1. A transportation means (100) having at least one first traction cable (11), the first traction cable (11) constituting a first closed loop (10) and being configured to be driven by at least one first driving device (12) at a nominal line speed, and the transportation means (100) having at least one vehicle (30), the at least one vehicle (30) having a coupling device (31) configured to couple the vehicle (30) to the first traction cable (11), the transportation means (100) comprising at least a first circulation path (101), the first circulation path (101) having at least a first section (110), the first section (110) comprising at least one travel path (111) extending along the first traction cable (11), the travel path (111) having at least one curvature, the vehicle (30) having a set of carrier wheels (32) and a set of wheels configured to travel at the nominal line speed on the travel path (111), the first circulation path (101) comprising at least a second circulation path (101) having at least a first section (120) extending along the first traction cable (11), the travel path (111) having at least one curvature, the carrier wheels (32) and the wheels being configured to travel at the nominal line speed on the first traction cable (11) and the first traction cable (120), the transport facility (100) is characterized in that it is configured such that the first traction cable (11) fully carries the vehicle (30) and drives the vehicle along the second section (120) at a nominal linear speed.

2. The transport facility (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least a second traction cable (21), the second traction cable (21) constituting a second closed loop (20) and being configured to be driven by at least one second driving device (22) at a nominal linear speed, the transport facility (100) comprising at least a second circulation path (102) and being configured such that the vehicle (30) travels from one circulation path to the other circulation path of the first and second circulation paths (101, 102) in at least one transition region (103) and being configured such that the vehicle (30) is coupled with the second traction cable (21) and the vehicle is towed by the second traction cable (21) at a nominal linear speed so as to travel on at least a part of the second circulation path (102).

3. The transport facility (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein the second circulation path (102) has at least a first section (210), the first section (210) comprising at least one travel path (211) extending along the second traction cable (21), the travel path (211) of the first section (210) having at least one curvature, the carrier wheel (32) and the guide wheel of the vehicle (30) being configured to travel on the travel path (211) at a nominal linear speed.

4. A transport facility (100) according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the transition region (103) comprises a portion of a continuous transition travel path, preferably rectilinear, extending from a travel path portion (111) of the first section (110) of the first circulation path (101) to a travel path portion (211) of the first section (210) of the second circulation path (102).

5. Transport facility (100) according to any of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the coupling means (31) of the vehicle (30) comprise a disconnecting means (33) for releasing the vehicle (30) from the traction cable (11, 21) to which it is coupled from the first and second traction cables (11, 21) and then coupling the vehicle (30) to the other traction cable of the first and second traction cables (21, 11).

6. Transport facility (100) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises at least one boarding and/or alighting station (150), the separation device (33) being in a separation position when the vehicle (30) is in the boarding and/or alighting position in the boarding and/or alighting station (150).

7. Transport facility (100) according to any one of the preceding claims depending at least on claim 2, wherein the second circulation path (102) comprises at least a second section, the transport facility (100) being configured such that the vehicle (30) is coupled to the second traction cable (21) and is towed by the second traction cable (21) at a nominal linear speed such that the vehicle travels over the first section (210) and the second section, the transport facility (100) being configured such that the second traction cable (21) fully carries the vehicle (30) and drives the vehicle along the second section at the nominal linear speed.

8. The transport facility (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first traction cable (11) is rectilinear along the second section (120) of the first circulation path (101).

9. The transport facility (100) of claim 8, wherein the second traction cable (21) is linear along a second section of the second circulation path (102).

10. Transport facility (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises guiding means (140) configured to guide the first traction cable (11) along the travel path (111) of the first section (110) of the first circulation path (101).

11. Transport facility (100) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the guiding means (140) comprise vertical guiding means (141) and horizontal guiding means (142).

12. The transport facility (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the travel path comprises two tracks spaced apart in a regular manner.

13. The transport facility (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first traction cable (11) constitutes a single drive cable of the vehicle (30) along the first circulation path (101).

14. Transport facility (100) according to at least any one of the preceding claims depending on claim 2, characterized in that the second traction cable (21) constitutes a single drive cable of the vehicle (30) along the second circulation path (102).

15. The transport facility (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first section (110) and the second section (120) of the first circulation path (101) are placed in series.

16. A method of using a transport facility (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method comprises at least:

-a first step: the vehicle (30) is circulated along the first section (110), during which the set of load-bearing wheels (32) and the set of guide wheels of the vehicle (30) travel on a travel path (111), the vehicle (30) being driven by the traction cable (11) at a nominal linear speed; and

-A second step: the vehicle (30) circulates along the second section (210), during which the first traction cable (11) fully carries the vehicle (30) and drives the vehicle along the second section (120) at a nominal linear speed.