EP0242242B1 - Ski lift seat with automatic control of the seat protection devices - Google Patents

Abstract

The opening and closing control system of a protective hood of a chair of a chair-lift comprises spring or gravity energy storage devices, to move the hood independently from the speed of the chair. The energy storage device is reloaded when the chair passes through the terminal and catches lock the hood in different positions. These catches are automatically controlled when the chair passes predetermined locations to achieve automatic control of opening and closing of the hood.

Description

The invention relates to a chairlift having seats coupled in line to an overhead cable and equipped with a tilting protective cover, capable of selectively occupying two positions, a closed position for closing and protecting passengers seated on the seat and a raised opening position for raising and lowering passengers from said seat, the hood opening control being carried out at the entrance to the station and the closing command at the exit from the station.

A chairlift of the kind mentioned allows the transport of passengers in cockpits sheltered from the weather, while retaining a structure significantly simpler than that of cable cars. Skiers can also keep their skis on, which makes it easier to get on and off the seat.

On a known chairlift, the hood, in the form of a folding hood, is put in place and removed by the skier (s) sitting on the seat, but these maneuvers require a certain dexterity, especially in the event of wind If the hood is constituted by a rigid half-shell, the actuation of the latter by the skier is practically impossible and it has already been proposed to make use of an automatic control similar to that of the gondola doors, by a control roller which cooperates with a fixed rail s extending along the path of the cabin or seat (see for example FR-A 2 440 298 corresponding to the preamble of Claim 1). This positive command is brutal and it cannot be used when the seat is moving quickly, the length of the control rail becoming too great.

The present invention aims to allow the realization of a chairlift with automatic control of opening and / or closing of the seat protection covers, without any risk of accidents or incidents.

The chairlift according to the invention is characterized in that the seat has a first energy storage device, in particular gravity or spring, to move the hood from one of said positions to the other and a first locking bolt - Hibition of the action of said first energy storage device for maintaining the cover in said one position, said first lock being capable of being unlocked to trigger an automatic displacement of the cover towards said other position under the action of said first energy storage device, regardless of seat speed.

Only the initiation of the opening or closing operation of the cover is positively controlled, the movement being generated by the energy storage device, for example by a spring or a counterweight with appropriate braking or damping. This movement is completely independent of the speed of travel of the seat and may possibly take place during a rapid displacement of the seat, in particular on a chairlift that cannot be disengaged. If the seats are disengageable in the station, the hood can be operated either during slow movement in the station or rapid in line, in this case just before entering and just after leaving the station.

The rearming of the accumulation device takes place in the station during the slow movement of the seat, this rearming can be achieved by external energy, in particular from a jack or be derived from the movement of the seat by a rail or a cam actuating a roller at passage of the seat.

According to a development of the invention, the two movements of respectively opening and closing the cover are generated by energy accumulators, which can be the same accumulator, arranged for two successive commands without intermediate reset or preferably two separate accumulators. In the latter case it is advantageous to provide for the rearming of one of the accumulators by the movement generated by the other accumulator, to avoid the use of two extrinsic rearming systems. If the accumulators are weights, it is sufficient that one of the weights is heavier than the other, for example the opening weight of the cover, to raise the weight controlling the closing by opening the cover. One of the weights can be constituted by the cover itself, the pivot axis of which is chosen to have in any position a moment urging the cover into one of the extreme positions, for example of closing. In order to avoid automatic closing of the cover when resetting the opening weight, it is advisable to provide a second lock, the release of which triggers the closing of the cover at the chosen time.

A third security lock is advantageously provided to prevent any inadvertent opening of the hood in line, in particular by the passenger seated on the seat. The release of this safety lock is also automatic and it must take place before the unlocking of the lock triggering the opening of the cover, these successive unlockings being able to be controlled by the same device or by different devices.

The two accumulators can be mechanical or hydraulic springs with opposite action forces, one of which is preponderant or one of the accumulators can be a spring and the other a weight, any combination being conceivable.

The seat generally includes a bodyguard operated by the passenger, but it is advantageous to derive the control of the bodywork from that of the hood to avoid any false maneuver. For this purpose the railing has a single stable equilibrium position, preferably the open position, and a stop engaged by the cover during its closing to drive the railing in the closed position. It is clear that the maneuvering of the railing can be totally or partially independent of that of the hood.

The commands according to the invention intervene independently of the occupation of the seat and the hood is always closed in line and open in the station. During certain periods, particularly in good weather, the covers can remain open simply by removing or deactivating the control of the closing bolt.

The rearming is carried out by a command close to the point of attachment to the cable in order to avoid untimely reactions and swaying of the seat during this maneuver. This control is easily adaptable to different types of seats, in particular by modification or by an appropriate choice of the strength of the accumulators.

• - la figure 1 est une vue schématique de face d'un siège équipé d'un capot et d'un dispositif de commande selon l'invention;
• - la figure 2 est une vue schématique de côté du siège en ligne, le capot étant fermé et le dispositif de commande armé;
• - les figures 3, 4 et 5 sont des vues analogues à celle de la fig. 2, illustrant les différentes phases d'une manoeuvre d'ouverture, respectivement d'ouverture du verrou de sécurité, d'ouverture du verrou d'ouverture et accrochage en position ouvert;
• - les figures 6 et 7 sont des vues analogues à celle des fig. 2 à 5, montrant la manoeuvre de réarmement et de fermeture du capot.

Other advantages and characteristics will emerge more clearly from the description which follows of an embodiment of the invention, given by way of nonlimiting example and represented in the appended drawings, in which:

• - Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a seat equipped with a cover and a control device according to the invention;
• - Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the seat in line, the cover being closed and the control device armed;
• - Figures 3, 4 and 5 are views similar to that of FIG. 2, illustrating the different phases of an opening operation, respectively opening the safety lock, opening the opening lock and latching in the open position;
• - Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to that of Figs. 2 to 5, showing the rearming and closing maneuver.

In the figures, a hanger 10 of a seat is coupled to a tractor carrying cable 12 of a chairlift by a detachable clip 14, the invention of course being applicable to a chairlift with a non-detachable seat. The hanger 10 carries the metal frame 16 of a transverse seat 18 with a backrest 20, oriented in the direction of travel. A railing 22, with footrest 23, is articulated at a point 24 at the rear of the backrest 20 and is biased in the open position, represented in FIG. 5, by a tension spring 26 and / or a counterweight 28. The seat 18 is disposed inside a shell made up of two half-shells 30, 32 of which one 30, fixed, is rigidly secured to the chassis 16 and the other 32, mobile, is mounted pivoting on a transverse axis 34, to selectively occupy a closed position (fig. 2) of the shell and an open position (fig. 5). In the closed or folded position of the movable half-shell 32, the shell constitutes a passenger protection compartment seated on the seat 18, this cockpit being entirely or partially closed. In the example illustrated by the figures, the fixed half-shell 30 is open at the base to allow free passage of the feet bearing on the footrest 23. It is clear that the invention applies to a seat devoid of the fixed half-shell 30, the half-shell 32 then being a simple passenger protection cover, the shape or construction of which may be different. The hull is advantageously made of laminated plastic with a windshield 36 at the front. In the raised position of the movable half-shell 32, the passengers can embark or disembark from the seat 18 without being hindered by the hull. Such shell seats or protective hood are well known to specialists and it is unnecessary to describe them in more detail.

According to the invention, a counterweight 38 is suspended by a flexible connection 39 from a lever 40 integral with the movable half-shell 32, so as to urge this half-shell 32 in the raised position, shown in FIG. 5. In the high or armed position of the counterweight 38, the shell is closed and a closing latch 42 engages under the counterweight 38 to lock it in this high position. When the lock 42 is released, the counterweight 38 causes the movable half-shell 32 to tilt upwards by gravity, the counterweight descending into the low position (FIG. 5). The center of gravity of the movable half-shell 32 is offset, with respect to the articulation axis 34, to the right in FIG. 2, so as to urge the half-shell 32 in any position by gravity in the direction clockwise to the closed position. This closing force can obviously be obtained or increased by a counterweight or a spring acting on the movable half-shell 32. A safety lock 44 cooperates with the half-shell 32 to keep it closed, while a lock of opening 46 is capable of keeping it in the open position. A shock absorber 48 fixed to the chassis 16 absorbs the movements of the movable half-shell 32 on closing and / or on opening to avoid any sudden impact. The latches 42, 46, in the form of tilting or sliding hooks, which snap in automatically, have a control tail 50 capable of cooperating with a cam or a stopper disposed on the path of movement of the seat in order to pivot the hook 42, 46 in the unlocked position when the seat passes and initiate the opening and closing maneuver respectively of the hull. The latch 44 is advantageously of the bistable type with positive locking and unlocking control by a stop 52. It should be noted that other types of locks can be used and that the controls can be different.

The rearming of the counterweight 38 is carried out in a similar manner by a cam 54, which engages a roller 56 integral with or coupled to the counterweight 38 to lift the latter when the seat passes, to bring it into the high position, army where it is retained by bolt 42 which engages automatically. It is advantageous to place the roller 56 in the vicinity of the attachment 14 of the seat to the cable 12 and to transmit the arming movement to the counterweight 38 by a mechanism, for example by a bowden cable 58. A similar control is conceivable for locks 42, 44, 46. If the accumulator is a mechanical or hydraulic spring, resetting takes place in the same way by moving the attachment point. It is certainly possible to use a fixed or on-board hydraulic or electric actuator on the seat receiving external energy in the rearming zone to perform this maneuver.

The opening and closing of the hull is carried out as follows:

In line the hull is closed and the movable half-shell 32 is held in this position by its weight with a safety lock by latch 44, which prevents passengers from raising the mid-shell 32. The counterweight 38 is raised and retained by the latch 42 (fig. 2). When approaching a station, a cam 52, disposed along the trajectory, causes the latch 44 to switch into the open position, the shell remaining temporarily closed under the action of its weight (fig. 3). The opening of the shell by tilting the movable half-shell 32 upwards occurs a little later when the lock 42 is unlocked by a control cam which releases the counterweight 38 (fig. 4). The latter brings the movable half-shell 32 into the open position with latching of the latch 46 (fig. 5). The railing 22 follows by gravity or under the action of the spring 26 the movement of the half-shell 32 and the passengers can descend from the seat and / or embark on the seat. The rearming of the counterweight 38 is carried out during the course of the seat in the station by the cam 54 which moves the roller 56 to raise the counterweight 38. The half-shell 32 locked by the latch 46 remains open, the flexible connection 39 authorizing the reset movement (fig. 6). The closing of the half-shell 32 is triggered by the release of the latch 46 which authorizes the tilting by gravity of the half-shell 32 in the closed position (fig. 7). Locking by latch 44 takes place a little later. The railing 22 has been closed beforehand by the passengers in the usual manner or otherwise the movable half-shell 32 causes the railing in its tilting movement to close it. It is understood that all these operations are automatic, any false maneuver being excluded. The force of the counterweight 38 is greater than the weight of the movable half-shell 32, so as to store the closing energy of this half-shell during the opening maneuver under the action of the counterweight 38. The active forces can vary with the position of the half-shell 32 to avoid any sudden impact, the movements being further damped by the shock absorber 48. The operating speeds are absolutely independent of the speed of the seat. The counterweight 38 can also command the closing of the hull and it is possible to have two energy accumulators each having its reset command or a common command. The guardrail 22 can be omitted or incorporated into the half-shell 32, the safety lock 44 not being essential.

The cycle of maneuvers described above is independent of the type of chairlift, but the locations where these maneuvers are triggered vary with the installations, the only obligations being the opening of the hull for disembarking and embarkation and rearming during the course in resort. In a chairlift with fixed attachments, it is clear that the cockpit must be open before or at the entrance of the seat in the station and closed at the exit. In a detachable chairlift, the control according to the invention allows maneuvers while the seat is moving at high speed, since the movement of the movable half-shell 32 is independent of this speed. The shell can thus be opened and closed as for a fixed chairlift before entering the station and after leaving or according to a preferred mode after disengaging the cable seat and before re-clutching the cable. Any other combination suitable for the type of installation is possible. The energy accumulator control device can be used for any other control, in particular the control of the railing.

Claims (10)

1. A chair-lift having chairs (18) coupled on the line to an aerial rope (12) and equipped with a swing- back protective hood (32), capable of occupying selectively two positions, a lowered closed position protecting the passengers seated on the chair and a raised open position for the passengers to mount and dismount from said chair, the hood (32) opening operation being performed at the entry to the terminal and the closing operation at the exit from the terminal, characterized in that the chair (18) comprises a first energy storage device (38), notably a gravity or spring device, to move the hood (32) from one of said positions to the other, and a first catch (42) inhibitng the action of said first energy storage device (38) to hold the hood (32) in said one position, said first catch (42) being able to be unlatched to trigger an automatic movement of the hood (32) to said other position due to the action of said first energy storage device (38), independently of the speed of the chair.

2. A chair-lift according to claim 1, characterized in that said one position is the closed position of the hood (32) and opening of the hood is triggered on entry to the terminal by unlocking of said first catch (42).

3. A chair-lift according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a reloading device (54, 56) of said first energy storage device (38), located in the terminal to reload it during the passage of the chair through the terminal.

4. A chair-lift according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the chair (18) comprises a second energy storage device to move the hood (32) in the reverse direction from said other position to said one position and a second catch (46) to hold the hood in said other position, said second catch being able to be unlatched to trigger an automatic reverse movement of the hood (32) towards said one position due to the action of said second energy storage device and independently from the speed of the chair.

5. A chair-lift according to claim 4, characterized in that the first energy storage device (38) is more powerful than the second energy storage device and the latter is reloaded by the movement of the hood (32) controlled by said first energy storage device.

6. A chair-lift according to claim 5, characterized in that said first catch (42) is unlocked when the chair (18) enters the terminal to trigger opening of the hood (32) by the action of first energy storage device and to bring about loading of the second energy storage device (38), the second catch (46) holds the hood (32) in the open position to allow reloading of the first energy storage device (38) in the terminal and when the chair leaves the terminal the second catch (46) is unlocked to trigger closing of the hood (32) by the action of the second energy storage device and to hold the hood in the closed position.

7. A chair-lift according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chair comprises a third safety catch (44) locking the hood (32) in the closed position, the third catch (44) being unlocked before the first catch (42) is unlocked.

8. A chair-lift according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chair is detachable from the rope (12) in the terminal and reloading of said first energy storage device (38) is derived from the slow movement of the chair in the terminal in particular by the movement of a roller (56) by a cam (54) extending along a section of the trajectory of slowspeed travel of the chair.

9. A chair-lift according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chair comprises a guard-rail (22) capable of selectively occupying an open position and a closed position, and the hood (32) cooperates with said guard-rail so that the guard-rail automatically moves to the open position when the hood is opened and to the closed position when the hood is closed.

10. A chair-lift according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that the catches (42, 44, 46) are automatically controlled when the chair passes predetermined locations, control of the catch (42) triggering closing of the hood being able to be inhibited.

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