EP0456588A1 - Mechanical ascending aid for little vehicles of the type toboggan - Google Patents

Abstract

This is a mechanical ascending device for toboggans with slides or rollers, running on a track with a concave transverse profile. The device comprises a section of ascending track (1), in which a motorised endless cable (7) circulates. Each toboggan (4) carries a towing clamp (6) which is temporarily clamped on the rising strand of the cable (7). Control ramps (16, 17) ensure the closing of the clamp (6) on the cable (7) at the bottom of the section of track (1) and the opening of this clamp (6) at the top of the section of track (1). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge or roller type, which run on a track with a concave transverse profile.

Thus, this invention relates to leisure facilities, particularly intended for winter sports resorts but usable during the summer season, facilities in which light single-seater vehicles having the appearance of sleds descend under the effect of gravity along adapted artificial slopes, of more or less steep slope. The user, child or adult, seated on the vehicle, descends the track at greater or lesser speed depending on whether or not he applies a brake acting by friction either directly on the surface of the track or on the wheels of the vehicle, if the latter is so equipped.

Each track having a certain length and a more or less significant difference in height, there naturally arises the problem of making rise or go up each toboggan and its user at the top of the track, before any descent.

One solution used is to combine the track in question with an existing winter ski lift installation, such as a ski lift or chairlift, which makes it possible to make the ski lift profitable during the summer season. However, such an association has drawbacks. Thus, the usual poles of a ski lift are not adapted to the traction of the assembly formed by a sledge and its user, and in any case in the absence of snow a special ascent path must be installed on the path of the ski lift to allow the circulation of sleds towed by the ski lift, which represents an additional constraint. In the case of a chairlift, the sleds must be removed at the bottom of the runway, hung on the chairlift gondolas, then unhooked from the chairlift gondolas and put back on the track at the top of the chairlift, which represents a set of manipulations not very rational and restrictive, especially in a context of leisure.

There is therefore a real need for better adapted and less restrictive mechanical lift devices for the sleds in question.

The present invention aims to provide such a device, particularly simple, rational and safe, in which the traction means of the sleds for their ascent are directly incorporated into the track, which makes it possible to get rid of any other ski lift installation.

• une partie de piste ascendante dans laquelle circule un câble sans fin associé à des moyens motorisés d'entraînement,
• au moins une pince de traction portée par chaque luge et prévue pour être serrée temporairement sur le brin montant du câble précité, et
• des moyens de commande assurant la fermeture de la pince de traction de chaque luge sur ledit câble, au bas de la partie de piste ascendante, et l'ouverture de cette pince lorsque la luge parvient au sommet de la partie de piste ascendante.

To this end, the subject of the invention is essentially a mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, which comprises in combination:

• a part of an ascending track in which an endless cable circulates associated with motorized drive means,
• at least one traction clamp carried by each sled and intended to be temporarily tightened on the rising strand of the aforementioned cable, and
• control means ensuring the closing of the traction clamp of each sledge on said cable, at the bottom of the ascending track part, and the opening of this clamp when the sledge reaches the top of the ascending track part.

Thus, the invention provides a lifting device in which each sledge has a clamp which automatically grasps a drive cable when this sledge is at the bottom of the ascending part of the track, and which also separates automatically from the cable when the same sledge arrives at the top of the ascending part of the track, the sled being then released and being able to slide or roll on the descending part of the track, to return to its lower starting point where it can again be dragged by the cable to the top of the track, the ascending and descending parts of the track together forming a closed circuit.

The ascending strand of the drive cable is advantageously located in the median plane of the ascending track part, at a relatively short distance from the bottom of this track part, while the traction clamp of each sledge is fixed under this sled and is intended to open from its lower part. The return, descending strand of the drive cable preferably passes under the descending or ascending track portion. Pulleys are provided, in suitable number and arrangement, for positioning, guiding and driving said cable.

According to a preferred embodiment, the traction clamp of each sledge has two symmetrical jaws articulated by their apex to a common support plate fixed under the sledge, the simultaneous pivoting of the two jaws towards the rear accompanied by their spacing, while spring means are provided to return the two jaws forward while causing them to tighten. This effect can be obtained in particular by arranging the respective axes of articulation of the two jaws on the support plate in directions forming one with the other at an angle. For each traction clamp, the return means can be constituted by a single spring, one end of which is attached to the support plate and the other end of which is linked to a stirrup which couples the two jaws.

In combination with the traction clamp structure specified above, the control means for closing and opening this clamp consist, according to another aspect of the invention, by at least one first fixed ramp provided at the bottom of the ascending track part, and cooperating with the lower ends of the two jaws to cause them to pivot backwards and to separate them, before releasing them so that they tighten on the traction cable under the effect of the spring of reminder, as well as by at least a second fixed ramp provided towards the top of the ascending track part and also cooperating with the lower ends of the two jaws to again cause them to pivot backwards and their spacing, so as to unhook the cable clamp. Preferably, the second ramp is formed on an already slightly descending track portion, so as to facilitate the stall, and it is provided that at the height of this second ramp the drive cable is erased under said track pressure.

It will be noted that, in its preferred embodiment defined above, the device ensures self-tightening of the tension clamps on the cable, during the entire ascending path of the sleds, the clamping of the jaws on the cable being all the more energetic that the slope is steeper and that the weight of the user, seated on the sledge, is higher.

• Figure 1 est une vue d'ensemble, de côté, d'un dispositif de remontée mécanique conforme à la présente invention ;
• Figure 2 est une vue de côté d'une luge à roulettes, pourvue d'une pince de traction adaptée au dispositif de remontée selon la figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 est une vue en bout de la luge de figure 2, avec sa pince de traction ;
• Figures 4, 5 et 6 sont des vues de détail, respectivement de face, de côté et en plan par dessous, de la pince de traction.

In any case, the invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting example, an embodiment of this mechanical lift device for small vehicles. , like sleds:

• Figure 1 is an overall side view of a mechanical lift device according to the present invention;
• Figure 2 is a side view of a roller sledge, provided with a traction clamp adapted to the lifting device according to Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is an end view of the sled of Figure 2, with its traction clamp;
• Figures 4, 5 and 6 are detailed views, respectively from the front, side and plan from below, of the traction clamp.

FIG. 1 shows a track for small vehicles of the toboggan type, and more particularly the ascending part of track 1, used for the ascent of the sledges reached at the bottom of the descending track part, not shown here, the ascending and descending track parts together forming a closed circuit. With reference also to FIG. 3, the track 1 has a concave transverse profile, with a bottom 2 of very open "V" profile, and flanks 3 raised, in the manner of a chute.

In the example considered, and as illustrated by FIGS. 2 and 3, each small vehicle 4 more simply called "sledge" comprises two pairs of rollers 5, respectively a front pair and a rear pair, by which it rests and rolls on the lane 1, in a known manner which will not be described here in more detail. Under its front part, each sledge 4 carries a traction clamp 6, designed to temporarily hang on an endless drive cable 7.

Referring again to Figure 1, the drive cable 7 follows the track and it includes, in particular, an ascending strand which is present over the entire length of the ascending track part 1; the ascending strand of the cable 7, guided by pulleys 8, is located in the median plane of the track part 1, and it flows at a relatively small distance from the bottom 2 of the track. On its return, descending path, the cable 7 can pass under the track or follow any other path, and motorized means (not shown) are also provided for driving this cable 7, in the direction indicated by a arrow F, at a chosen speed of, for example, between 0.4 meters / second and 2 meters / second.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the traction clamp 6 has two symmetrical jaws 9, articulated by their apex, around respective axes 10, to a common support plate 11 which is itself fixed under the bottom of the sledge 4. The two jaws 9 are generally turned downwards, each jaw 9 having towards its lower free end a groove 12 of semicircular section, located opposite the corresponding groove of the other jaw.

The respective articulation axes 10 of the two jaws 9 each form an angle A with respect to the transverse direction of the sledge 4, so that the directions of these two axes 10 form, with each other, an angle 2A - see Figure 6. Thus, when the two jaws 9 pivot backwards while rising, they move away from each other simultaneously which corresponds to the opening of the traction clamp 6. At l 'reverse, when the two jaws 9 pivot forward, they tighten simultaneously which corresponds to the closure of the traction clamp 6. The two jaws 9 are recalled in the advanced position of closing of the clamp by a helical spring 13, working in traction. One end of the return spring 13 is attached to the support plate 11 by means of a small ring 14; the other end of the spring 13 is linked to a stirrup 15 which couples the two jaws 9. It should be noted that in the advanced closed position, the two jaws 9 tightened with the clamp 6 are inclined forward, the direction longitudinal of these jaws 9 forming an angle B relative to a direction perpendicular to the support plate 11.

To control the opening / closing movements of the traction clamps 6 carried by the different sleds 4, there is also provided, as shown in FIG. 1, a first fixed ramp 16 situated at the bottom of the part of the ascending track 1, and a second fixed ramp 17 formed towards the top of this part of the ascending track 1. The ramps 16 and 17 are arranged so as to be on the path of the jaws 9 belonging to the sleds 4 which circulate on the track 1.

Thus, when a sledge 4 reaches the bottom of the descending part of the track, the two jaws 9 of its traction clamp 6 meet the first ramp 16 and this clamp 6 opens, its jaws 9 spreading one on the other, for example about 20 mm. When the front end of the ramp 16 passes, the two jaws 9 tighten thanks to the return spring 13, and they then grip the drive cable 7 which is guided to pass exactly at the grooves 12. The cable 7 is thus pinched between the two jaws 9, the dimension of the passage formed by the two grooves 12 being adapted to the diameter of this cable 7 so as to pinch it sufficiently strongly.

In addition, the combined effect of the movement of the cable 7 upwards according to arrow F, of the pinching of the two jaws 9, of the inclination forwards of these jaws 9, and of the slight local deformation of the cable 7 which as a result, causes a real blocking of the clamp 6 on the cable 7. The pinching of the jaws 9 on the cable 7 is even more energetic the steeper the slope of the ascending track part 1, and that the weight of the whole "sledge 4 and its user" is high.

Each sledge 4 is thus driven upwards, by the cable 7, while rolling on the part of ascending track 1, and this up to the top of this part of track 1.

At the top, the longitudinal profile of the track forms a rounded shape and there is thus a portion of track 18 already slightly descending, for example with a slope of the order of 10 °, on which is formed the second ramp 17 which causes the opening of the traction clamps 6, still by action on the jaws 9.

More particularly, due to the slope of the track portion 18, the sledge 4 no longer exerts traction on the jaws 9 of its clamp 6 when it reaches this portion of track 18. The sledge 4 begins to descend by gravity and its speed exceeds that of the cable 7. Thus, the opening of the clamp 6 is practically without resistance, only the limited force of the return spring 13 still to be overcome.

When opening, the clamp 6 releases the sledge 4 from the traction cable 7, which disappears under the portion of track 18 at the height of the second ramp 17. Once the second ramp 17 has passed, the clamp 6 is closed by to its return spring 13.

The sledge 4 can then descend by gravity to the bottom of the descending part of the track, which is its normal use, kinetic retarders acting on its rear pair of rollers 5 during the descent. Once at the foot of the track, the sledge 4 again meets the first ramp 16 which opens its clamp 6, and this clamp 6 closes again on the drive cable 7 which reappears under said first ramp 6.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the sole embodiment of this mechanical lift device which has been described above, by way of example; on the contrary, it embraces all of the variant embodiments and applications respecting the same principle. Thus, one would not depart from the scope of the invention by modifying the constructive details of the traction clamps, or by adapting the device to sleds with sliding pads, and not on casters.

Claims (11)

Mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge or roller sledge type, traveling on a track of concave transverse profile, characterized in that it comprises in combination: a part of an ascending track (1) in which an endless cable (7) circulates associated with motorized drive means, - at least one traction clamp (6) carried by each sledge (4) and intended to be temporarily tightened on the rising strand of the aforementioned cable (7), and - control means (16,17) ensuring the closing of the traction clamp (6) of each sledge (4) on said cable (7), at the bottom of the ascending track part (1), and the opening of this clamp (6) when the sledge (4) reaches the top (18) of the ascending track part. A mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to claim 1, characterized in that the ascending (1) and descending track parts together form a closed circuit. Mechanical lifting device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ascending strand of the drive cable (7) is situated in the median plane of the ascending track part (1), at a relatively small distance from the bottom (2) of this part of the track, while the traction clamp (6) of each sledge (4) is fixed under this sled and is intended to open by its lower part. Mechanical ascent device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to claim 3, characterized in that the return, descending strand of the drive cable (7) passes under the descending or ascending track part (1). Mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the traction clamp (6) of each sledge (4) has two symmetrical jaws (9) articulated by their top (at 10 ) to a common support plate (11) fixed under the sledge (4), the simultaneous pivoting of the two jaws (9) towards the rear accompanied by their spacing, while spring means (13,14,15 ) are provided to bring the two jaws (9) forward while causing them to tighten. Mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to claim 5, characterized in that the respective articulation axes (10) of the two jaws (9) of the traction clamp (6) on the support plate (11) are arranged in directions forming an angle (2A) with each other. Mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the return means are constituted, for each traction clamp (6), by a single spring (13), one end of which is attached (at 14) to the support plate (11) and the other end of which is linked to a stirrup (15) which couples the two jaws (9) of the clamp. Mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to any one of Claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the two jaws (9) of the traction clamp (6) are inclined towards the front (angle B ), in the clamped closed position. Mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the control means for closing and opening the pulling clamp (6) of each sledge ( 4) are constituted by at least a first fixed ramp (16) provided at the bottom of the ascending track part (1) and cooperating with the lower ends of the two jaws (9) to cause them to pivot backwards and to spread them apart, before releasing them so that they tighten on the traction cable (7) under the effect of the return spring (13), as well as by at least a second fixed ramp (17) provided towards the top of the part of ascending track (1) and also cooperating with the lower ends of the two jaws (9) to again cause them to pivot backwards and to spread them apart, so as to unhook the clamp (6) from the cable (7). Mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to claim 9, characterized in that the second ramp (17) is formed on a portion of track (18) already slightly descending. Mechanical lift device for small vehicles, of the sledge type, according to claim 10, characterized in that the drive cable (7) disappears under said track portion (18) at the level of the second ramp (17).

Images