EP0170587A1 - Seat or cabin propulsion device for cableway stations - Google Patents

Abstract

A preferred embodiment for a detechable gondola lift is disclosed in which carraiges on a closed circuit are detached from the circuit upon entering an end station and coupled to a semi-circular section before being recoupled onto the circuit upon exiting the end station. The semi-circular section has a drive wheel with a first drive mechanism on its periphery for driving the carriages over the semi-circular section. The first drive mechanism is located at regular intervals and driven at a predetermined first speed to impose a regular flow rate to the carriages leaving the semi-circular section and a regular distribution of carriages on the circuit. The semi-circular section also includes a second drive mechanism for imparting a slightly different speed to the carriages from that imposed by the drive wheel. One of the drive means has priority to impose a predetermined flow rate to the carriages leaving the semi-circular section. In another embodiment, the semi-circular section is divided into two straight rails and a circular rail on the drive wheel. In addition, the invention contemplates using two coaxial wheels: a drive wheel with pins and a support wheel. The pins may be fixed or retractable.

Description

The invention relates to an overhead traveling cable transport installation in closed circuit, having an uplink and a downlink connecting two end stations, loads, in particular cabins, seats or the like, being supported by trolleys with disengageable pliers, capable of being coupled to the in-line cable and of being uncoupled at the entrance to a station, The carriages supporting the cabs circulating in The station on a semi-loop circuit connecting the downlink channels and rising before being re-coupled to the cable at the station exit.

French patent application No. 83 00749 of January 17, 1983 discloses an installation of the kind mentioned, which uses a propulsion chain, extending in a closed loop along the circulation circuit of cabins or seats disengaged from the cable in stations . The traffic on the curved sections of the circuit is irregular and the station drive system is expensive, noisy and complicated.

The present invention aims to simplify the device for cabin station circulation, while facilitating the passage of curves and retaining the advantages of the prior system.

The installation according to the invention is characterized in that the circulation circuit of the cabins in the station comprises a circular section, in particular in a semicircle, provided with a positive drive device for the carriages comprising a pulley with vertical axis, coinciding with the axis of said semicircle, the pulley being driven in rotation and bearing on its periphery means for driving the carriages on said semicircular section.

In the curved part of the circuit the training is carried out by a pulley with vertical axis, driven in rotation by a motor or by a power take-off on the cable or the motor mechanism of the latter. The diameter of this pulley preferably corresponds to the spacing of the line, to allow connection by rectilinear rails forming the embarkation and disembarkation platforms. The propulsion on straight sections is carried out in a conventional manner, by gravity, chain, frying wheels and the like.

The drive by a pulley on the curved return section is particularly suitable for the production of a timing device, of the type described in the aforementioned patent application, which automatically maintains the regular spacing of the cabins throughout the operating time of THE INSTALLATION. According to a first embodiment, the device for driving the rectilinear section, for example the friction wheels, is extended over a part of the curved section, to constitute a second drive system, for example at a speed slightly lower or higher than THAT OF THE PULLEY. According to the position of the cabin at the entrance to this part of the curved section, it is powered by one or the other of the drive means to catch up with a delay or, on the contrary, absorb an advance. The operation of such a timer is described in the aforementioned patent application to LaqueLLe reference will be made for more details on such timers.

The timed curved section may comprise a slow gravity drive or a temporary stop of the cabin, the drive pulley catching up with the cabin more or less quickly depending on the position of the latter.

The second drive means associated with the timing section may, according to a development of the invention, be a second pulley coaxial with the first and rotating at a slightly different speed. Propulsion by one of the pulleys has priority by making use, for example of one-way drive cleats on one of the pulleys. The installation can be of the single-cable or two-cable type, Cabins or seats, disengaged from the cable in station, running on a rail, which can extend along the entire route, in particular around the drive pulley or on parts of this route, in particular on straight parts. In the latter case, the drive pulley is arranged to support the cabins on the curved section and the upper face of the pulley is shaped as a circular rail, in which the engagement is made of the rollers of the carriages for supporting the cabins. by a sloping connection section. Any other mode of support or connection can also be used.

The rail can be carried by a support pulley, coaxial with the drive pulley and the two pulleys can be rotated at slightly different speeds to achieve timing.

The frequency of movement of the cabins is determined by the speed of rotation of the timing pulley and by the spacing of the drive means, in this case the tabs distributed over the circumference of the pulley. The possibilities for varying the speed of cabin traffic are limited and to multiply the flow rate of the installation, for example from simple to double, simply multiply the number of active cleats. Some cleats, one in two or any other proportion are of the erasable type. The movement of the cleats from the active position to the erased or inactive position can be controlled by any operating means, in particular by a removable cam capable of actuating a heel of the cleat to raise it in the erased position. Only the cleats fitted with a heel, in this case one in two cleats, are thus moved to the inactive position when scrolling in front of the cam placed in the control position. Similar or equivalent systems can be used.

• - La figure 1 est une vue schématique en élévation d'une station selon L'invention;
• - La figure 2 est une vue en plan de La station selon La fig. 1;
• - Les figures 3 et 4 sont des coupes, respectivement suivant Les Lignes III-III et IV-IV de La fig. 2;
• - La figure 5 est une vue analogue à ceLLe de La fig. 2, illustrant une variante de réalisation;
• - La figure 6 est une coupe à échelle agrandie selon La Ligne VI-VI de La fig. 5;
• - Les figures 7 et 8 sont des vues analogues à celles des fig. 5 et 6, montrant une autre variante;
• - Les figures 9 et 10 sont des vues analogues à ceLLe de La fig. 2, illustrant, en deux instants successifs, un autre mode de réalisation;
• - Les figures 11 et 12 sont des coupes suivant Les Lignes XI-XI de La fig. 9 et XII-XII de La fig. 10;
• - Les figures 13 et 14, analogues aux figures 5 et 6, montrent une autre variante;
• - et La figure 15 est une vue de détaiL d'un taquet d'entraînement.

Other advantages and characteristics will emerge more clearly from the description which follows of different modes of implementing the invention, given by way of nonlimiting examples and shown in the appended drawings, in which

• - Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of a station according to the invention;
• - Figure 2 is a plan view of the station according to fig. 1;
• - Figures 3 and 4 are sections, respectively along Lines III-III and IV-IV of FIG. 2;
• - Figure 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, illustrating an alternative embodiment;
• - Figure 6 is a section on an enlarged scale along Line VI-VI of FIG. 5;
• - Figures 7 and 8 are views similar to those of Figs. 5 and 6, showing another variant;
• - Figures 9 and 10 are views similar to that of FIG. 2, illustrating, in two successive instants, another embodiment;
• - Figures 11 and 12 are sections along Lines XI-XI of FIG. 9 and XII-XII of FIG. 10;
• - Figures 13 and 14, similar to Figures 5 and 6, show another variant;
• - And Figure 15 is a detailed view of a drive cleat.

In the figures, the same reference numbers are used to designate identical or analogous elements.

In the figures, an overhead cable 10 of a single-cable chairlift which could be a gondola or a similar single-cable or two-cable transporter, passes through an end station 12 on a return pulley 14 driven in rotation by a motor 16. The seats 18 are fixed by a hanger 20 to a carriage 22 carrying a clamp 24 for coupling to the cable 10. A spring 26 urges the clamp 24 in the cable clamping position, the opening being controlled by a lever 28 cooperating with a fixed ramp 30. The carriage 22 carries rollers 32 and positioning rollers 34 and a drive plate 36 capable of cooperating with wheels 38 for driving tires. Such pliers are for example described in French patent application 81 00432, in LaqueLLe reference will advantageously be made.

At the entrance to the station 12 is arranged parallel to the cable 10, a rail 40 for transfer onto which the rollers 32 engage. The lever 28 for controlling the opening of the clamp 24 approaches the ramp 30 to open the clamp 24 and uncouple the carriage 22 from the cable 10. A slight relative movement of the carriage 22 with respect to the cable 10 releases the latter from the clamp 24. A set of wheels 38 with tires, carried by a beam 42 parallel to the rail 40, cooperate with The plate 36 of the carriage 22 for driving the latter. The wheels 38 are rotated by any suitable means (not shown), the first wheels of the train rotating at the speed of the cable 10 to synchronize the movement of the carriage 22 while the following wheels 38 decelerate the carriage 22 uncoupled from the cable 10 and rolling on Rail 40. Rail 40 extends in a half-loop in The station to join The other strand of cable 10 constituting The other way of the chairlift passing in front of a boarding area 44 if Station 12 is a boarding station. It is clear that this station can be a landing station or include both a landing platform and a platform for boarding passengers, especially skiers.

The half-loop circuit, formed by Rail 4.0, has a semi-circular end section 46, to which two straight sections 48, 50 are connected, each aligned with one of the up and down tracks of La Ligne . Associated with the semicircular section 46 is a pulley 52 with a vertical axis 54 for driving the carriages 22 on this section. The diameter of the pulley 52 is slightly smaller than that of the semicircular path and the catches 56 of the drive project radially from the pulley 52 to cooperate with the carriage 22 circulating on the section 46. The pulley 52 is driven in rotation by a motor 57 or by any other means suitable for the speed of movement in the station of seats or cabins, hereinafter called cabins. On the straight sections 48, 50 The carriages 22 are powered by the wheels 38 staggered along these sections. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the carriages 22 are propelled positively over the entire station route, by the wheels 38 on the section 48, by the pulley 52 on the curved section 46 and by the wheels 38 on the exit section 50. The last wheels 38 of the circuit constitute a device for accelerating the carriages 22 for synchronizing the speeds of the carriages 22 and of the cable 10 before re-coupling by closing the clamp 24 on the cable 10. The drive by the pulley 52 is particularly flexible and silent and it allows a significant simplification of the station circulation system. It is clear that these advantages are preserved by equipping the straight sections 48, 50 with other propulsion systems, gravity, forced or mixed drive.

The passage of the carriages 22 on the section 46 in a semicircle can be improved by interrupting, in the manner shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rail 40 Along this section 46 and providing on the upper face of the pulley 52 a circular circular rail 58 which is connected to the ends of the rail 40. In the case of a rail 58 with a U profile , the connection is made by a sloping needle (not shown) which introduces or extracts the rollers 32 from the rail 58. Others connection means, adapted to the profile of the rails 40, 58 can be used. It is clear that the rolling of the rollers 32 on the curved rail 58 is zero or very weak, which facilitates the movement of the carriages 22 on the curved section 46.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, friction wheels 60, similar to the wheels 38 of the straight sections 48, 50, are arranged on a sector of the pulley 52, in this case, but not necessarily, at the entry of the latter . The Linear speed of the wheels 60 is slightly lower than that of the pulley 52 and the assembly is arranged in such a way that a cabin shifted in advance is driven by the wheels 60 on the input sector of the pulley 52 and caught up in end of sector by Le taquet 56, while a late cabin is taken care of directly at the entrance by Le taquet 56, imposing a higher speed on it to catch up. A free wheel of the friction drive allows displacement at high speed. The rollers 32 of the carriage 22 roll on the rail 58 during a slow drive. The operating principle of such timers is described in the aforementioned patent application, certain features of which are applicable to the present system.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate another embodiment of the invention, making use of two coaxial pulleys, the drive pulley 52 with cleats 56 and a support pulley 62, bearing on its periphery the rail 58, receiving The rollers 32 of the carriage 22. In a non-timing system The pulleys 52, 62 rotate in synchronism, a timing can be achieved by rotating the support pulley 62 at a lower speed to impose the slow speed of circulation. When the carriage 22 is caught up by the tabs 56, the rollers 32 roll on the rail 58 of the pulley 62.

Propulsion on the straight sections 48, 50 can be carried out by any suitable means, in particular by gravity,

FIGS. 9 and 10 showing by way of example an installation having a gravity drive on the inlet section 48 and a friction wheel drive 38 on the outlet section 50. A part of the section 48 may include friction wheels or other propulsion components, while the section 50 may be partly circulated by gravity. The specialist can easily design other operating combinations. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the timing sector of the pulley 52 is arranged on the side of the outlet of the section 46 in a semicircle. A carriage 22 arriving early or late on this timing section, with respect to the predetermined frequency is automatically repositioned by the differential speed between the pulley 52 and the friction wheels 60.

The drive pulley 52 has fixed lugs 56, in this case three, shown in thick lines and an equal or different number of erasable lugs 64, shown in detail in FIGS. 11 and 12. The fixed 56 and erasable 64 cleats are alternated, the proportion of fixed and erasable cleats being able to be different. Each erasable cleat 64 is pivotally mounted on an axis 66 and carries a heel 68, capable of cooperating with a cam 70, extending along the timing section or on a part of the latter. The cam 70 is itself movable or retractable in a position of non-engagement of the heels 68. When the cam 70 is retracted The erasable cleats 64 remain in the active position and behave like fixed cleats, The timing pulley 52 then being six cleats. In the active position of the cam 70 The erasable lugs 64 are raised so as not to cooperate with the carriages 22 (FIG. 11) and the timing pulley 52 comprises three active lugs ensuring a rate of travel of the carriages reduced by half. It is clear that the rate change system and any particular system described with reference to one of the figures is applicable or can be combined with other systems according to the invention, in particular illustrated by other figures. The command to erase the tabs 64 may be different and relate to a cleat on three or another proportion.

The operation of the erasable cleat timer 64 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. At the instant shown in FIG. 9, a first carriage 22 propelled by a fixed cleat 56 arrives at the exit of the section 46 in a semicircle, while another carriage 22 in advance enters this section 46 and will be overtaken by one of the erasable tabs 64 in the active drive position. A third carriage 22, interposed between the two others has just entered the clocking section, the corresponding erasable cleat 64 having just been raised to the inactive position by the cam 70. This third carriage 22 is propelled at slow speed by the wheels with friction 60. A moment later, illustrated by FIG. 10, the first carriage 22 has engaged on the rectilinear section 50, while the third carriage 22 will be overtaken by the fixed cleat 56 and that the last carriage, propelled by an erasable cleat 64, approaches the timing section where its cleat 64 will be pivoted in the erasing position by the cam 70. It is obviously possible to permanently erase or remove the erasable cleats 64, the only drawback being a temporary stop at the entrance to the curved section of carriages too early. Any downtime is avoided by providing a lot of erasable tabs 64.

FIGS. 13 to 15 show another improvement in LequeL The semicircular section 46 is equipped with two coaxial drive pulleys, a pulley 52 equipped with drive cleats 64, some of which are optionally erasable as described above. above by the action of a cam 70 shown in broken lines in FIG. 14 and a second pulley 72, carrying tabs 74 for unidirectional drive. The tabs 74 are articulated on a vertical axis 76 and cooperate with a stop 78 to ensure a positive drive in the direction of trigonometric rotation and an erasure of the tabs 74 in the opposite direction. The second pulley 72 provides training at slow priority speed, while pulley 52, which rotates at a higher speed, determines the rate of travel of the carriages 22, the tabs 74 not opposing the passage of a carriage 22 propelled by a cleat 64 at higher speed. The alignment is carried out over its entire length of the curved section 46 and providing for a large number of cleats 74 The cabins are hardly ever stationary. It is unnecessary to describe in detail The operation of this system which emerges from the preceding discussion.

The invention is of course by no means limited to the modes of implementation more particularly described, and it extends to timing systems operating by braking or accelerating the cabs.

Claims (10)

1. Aerial cable transport installation (10) with continuous scrolling in a closed circuit, having an uplink and a downlink connecting two end stations, loads, in particular cabins (18), seats or the like being supported by trolleys (22) with disengageable clamp (24), capable of being coupled to the in-line cable and of being uncoupled at the entrance to a station, The carriages (22) for supporting cabs circulating in The station on a circuit semi-loop (46, 48, 50) connecting the downward and upward tracks before being re-coupled to the cable at the exit of the station, characterized in that the circulation circuit of the cabins in the station comprises a circular section (46) , in particular in a semicircle, provided with a positive drive device (52) for the carriages (22) comprising a pulley (52) with a vertical axis coinciding with the axis of said semicircle, the pulley being driven in rotation and bearing on its periphery means (56, 64) for driving tanks iots on said semicircle section (46). 2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the semicircular section (46) is extended at its two ends by sections (48, 50), aligned respectively with the upward and downward paths, to which it is connected, carriages (22) uncoupled from the cable (10) being driven or circulating by gravity on said aligned sections (48, 50) and being supported by said drive pulley (52) on the semi-circular section (46). 3. InstaLLation according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said pulley (52) comprises drive means (56, 64) regularly distributed over the periphery and driven at a predetermined speed to impose a regular rate of output of cabins (18) of the semi-circular section (46) and a regular distribution of loads on La Ligne. 4. Installation according to claim 3, characterized in that said section (46) in a semicircle, equipped with said pulley (52), comprises at least on part of the section a second means (60, 62, 72) of drive at a speed slightly different from that imposed by the pulley (52), one (52) of the drive means being priority to impose a predetermined rate of exit from the cabins (18) of the section (46) in a semicircle. 5. InstaLLation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carriages (22) for supporting the cabins (18) comprise a friction track (36) capable of cooperating with wheels (38, 60) of drive friction, arranged along the circulation circuit of the cabins in the station, one or more of said wheels (60) being arranged on said section (46) in a semicircle to constitute the second drive means cooperating with the pulley (52) drive to impose a predetermined rate of cabin traffic. 6. InstaLLation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said drive pulley (52) carries on its periphery means (58) for supporting the carriages (22), which are connected to the inlet and to The exit from the semicircular section (46) to the circulation circuit from the cabins to the upward and downward tracks, The cabins being supported and driven by the pulley (52) on the semicircular section (46). 7. InstaLLation according to claim 6, characterized in that the carriages (22) carry rollers (32) of rolling on rails (40) forming said circulation circuit, said pulley (52) carrying on its periphery a circular rail ( 58), on which the said rollers engage during the journey on the section (46) in a semicircle to support the cabin. 8. Installation. according to claim 6, characterized in what The carriages (22) carry rollers (32) on rolling rails (40) in station, The rail (58) of the section (46) in a semicircle being disposed on the periphery of a pulley (62) rotary support arranged coaxially to said drive pulley (52). 9. Installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive pulley (52) carries on its periphery fixed lugs (56), the regular spacing of which determines the rate of movement of the cabins and erasable tabs (64) erasing on a padlocking part of the semicircular section (46) equipped with a second drive means (60). 10. InstaLLation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the semicircular section (46) is equipped with a rail (40) for circulation of the carriages (22) supporting the cabins (18), a first (52) and a second (72) pulleys for driving the carriages (22) on said section (46), the drive speeds of the two pulleys (52, 72) being slightly different and the means (64 ) drive! one (52) of the pulleys having priority over those (74) of the other pulley (72) to impose a regular rate of exit from the cabins of the section (46) in a semicircle, imposed by La pulley (52) equipped with priority drive means.

Images