EP4282729A1 - Shoe assembly for supporting at least a supporting cable of an aerial cable transportation system, aerial cable transportation system comprising such a shoe assembly and method for operating such an aerial cable transportation system - Google Patents

Shoe assembly for supporting at least a supporting cable of an aerial cable transportation system, aerial cable transportation system comprising such a shoe assembly and method for operating such an aerial cable transportation system Download PDF

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Publication number
EP4282729A1
EP4282729A1 EP23174450.9A EP23174450A EP4282729A1 EP 4282729 A1 EP4282729 A1 EP 4282729A1 EP 23174450 A EP23174450 A EP 23174450A EP 4282729 A1 EP4282729 A1 EP 4282729A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
supporting
cable
shoe assembly
seat
configuration
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP23174450.9A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Alexander Pechlaner
Michael WURZER
Nikolaus Erharter
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Leitner AG
Original Assignee
Leitner AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Leitner AG filed Critical Leitner AG
Publication of EP4282729A1 publication Critical patent/EP4282729A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B61B12/00—Component parts, details or accessories not provided for in groups B61B7/00 - B61B11/00
    • B61B12/06—Safety devices or measures against cable fracture
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B61B12/00—Component parts, details or accessories not provided for in groups B61B7/00 - B61B11/00
    • B61B12/02—Suspension of the load; Guiding means, e.g. wheels; Attaching traction cables
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B61B7/00—Rope railway systems with suspended flexible tracks
    • B61B7/02—Rope railway systems with suspended flexible tracks with separate haulage cables

Definitions

  • the technical field of reference of the present invention refers to the sector of aerial cable transportation systems.
  • Such specific technological application provides for the presence of at least one transport unit in which passengers and/or goods are transported.
  • the transport units are moved in an aerial mode along a predefined route by at least one supporting cable.
  • the driving of the units can be generated by a hauling cable or by a special motorization provided in each unit.
  • structures are present for supporting portions of the supporting cables known in the sector as "shoes".
  • shoes are in particular present both in the end stations and along possible intermediate pylon structures.
  • the present invention will deal with the problem of how to stably maintain the supporting cable in the corresponding shoe also in the presence of adverse weather events, such as for example strong lateral wind.
  • Aerial cable transportation systems are currently greatly widespread, and thus well known to a person skilled in the art operating in this particular technical field.
  • passengers and/or goods are transported along a route in special transport units, for example cabins, chairs or the like.
  • the route is delimited at the opposite ends by two embarkation and disembarkation end stations, also known as upstream and downstream stations.
  • the term "aerial” refers to cable systems in which the transport units are moved along at least one supporting cable in a raised position with respect to the ground below (precisely aerial mode).
  • the present invention refers to the aerial transportation systems with one or with two supporting cables per branch.
  • the words “supporting cable” will also refer to the case where the supporting cables are actually two.
  • the movement of the units can be generated by a hauling cable to which all the units are coupled or clamped, or by single motorizations present in the units, for example providing for motorized trolleys that slide on the supporting cables.
  • the hauling cable if present, is loop-sent between the end stations which are housed, for such purpose, on special pulleys (of which at least one is motorized) and runs along the entire route.
  • the supporting cable is substantially fixed, i.e. is not moved between the stations except for periodic maintenance phases.
  • each transport unit comprises at least one trolley with rollers which roll on the supporting cable.
  • An aerial cable transportation system as just described is very useful when the configuration of the ground below, or other contour factors, does not make the classic land drive practicable.
  • aerial cable systems are used in the case where the route to be travelled provides for significant altimetric jumps, also with considerable slopes.
  • Such route is typical of the zones of ski/mountain places and in such context these systems are also called ski lifts.
  • the present invention and the aerial cable systems in general are also advantageously applied to urban contexts where the ground transportation is congested.
  • Each intermediate fixed structure for supporting the cable usually comprises a vertical supporting structure, such as a pylon or a tower, on top of which devices for supporting the supporting cable are provided known as "shoes".
  • the shoe comprises a substantially U-shaped seat open at the top for supporting the supporting cable.
  • the hauling cable if present, is instead supported by a series of rollers arranged below the seat of the supporting cable.
  • the portion of supporting cable housed in the seat of the shoe is less constrained because the trolley does not weigh on it and it is thus freer to move.
  • Vertical or longitudinal displacements are absorbed by the system without any danger.
  • a transversal displacement of the supporting cable is very dangerous because it can bring the cable to come out of the relative seat with consequent deviation of the cable from its theoretical line.
  • adverse weather conditions such as strong transversal wind and/or mantle of ice on the cables which, when detaching, can create a whiplash on the cable, whereby the supporting cable can thus come out of its seat and derail.
  • the shoes are laterally equipped with cable-catching devices, preventing such event is an object pursued by all manufacturers in order to increase the safety of the system.
  • a first solution currently known for such purpose provides for installing along the edges of the seat of the shoe fixed containment structures which effectively increase the volume of the seat for offering greater shelter from the wind.
  • this solution is not optimal. Since the passage over the seat must in any case be free and without obstacles for enabling the transit of the carriages, such fixed structures necessarily have very reduced dimensions.
  • This second solution provides for the presence of a movable arm pivotable about an axis parallel to the axial direction of the supporting cable, which, like a kind of level crossing, passes from a first position, in which it is substantially transversal to the cable in contact with the seat closing the open upper end thereof, to a second position in which it is substantially vertical and spaced apart from the seat.
  • this second solution although preferable with respect to the first one because it does not obstruct the passage of the units during the operation of the system, has some drawbacks.
  • such arm must have a significant transversal length for closing both seats and such transversal length translates into a considerable weight to raise (and maintain raised) rotating about an axis parallel to that of the cables. From an engineering point of view, therefore, such solution has constructive drawbacks which do not recommend its use.
  • an object of the present invention is to manufacture an innovative shoe assembly for supporting at least one supporting cable of an aerial cable transportation system, wherein the shoe assembly is capable of solving the problems of the prior art.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a shoe assembly for supporting at least one supporting cable of an aerial cable transportation system, wherein the shoe assembly comprises an innovative safety device configured to hold the supporting cable, in particular inhibit the transversal movements thereof, at the relative seat during the stop phases of the system and which does not obstruct the passage of the trolleys during the operation of the system.
  • the terms “inlet” and “outlet” refer to the upstream and downstream portions of the shoe, i.e. the portions at which the transport units enter and exit the shoe.
  • the seat supporting the supporting cable can per se have various different shapes. However, usually and preferably the seat is substantially U-shaped with more or less high side branches for making a groove which accommodates the supporting cable and which is open at the top.
  • each seat obviously has a longitudinal development substantially coinciding with the axis of the corresponding supporting cable.
  • the features of the safety device will be listed in the following.
  • "at least one safety device” means that a shoe can have one or more safety devices. In case only one safety device is present, it is preferably located in the inlet zone of the shoe. If two safety devices are present, these are preferably arranged in the inlet zone and in the outlet zone of the shoe, respectively.
  • the main aspect of the present invention is to provide at least one innovative safety device for holding the at least one supporting cable, i.e. substantially inhibit the lateral or transversal movements thereof, at the corresponding at least one seat, wherein each safety device (one or more if present) comprises:
  • the safety device comprises a movable arm (like a currently known prior art described in the foregoing) which, however, in an innovative manner, is not pivotable about an axis parallel to the seat or to the supporting cable but about an axis orthogonal to the seat or to the supporting cable.
  • the movement of the arm is no longer of the level crossing barrier type, but is of the door type in which the lifting of the arm is not provided. Since it is not necessary to lift and keep elements raised (elements which could also fall creating problems), no manoeuvring space for the arm above the seat is required.
  • the supporting arm movable about the axis vertical to the supporting cable is cyclically and selectively switchable between two different configurations, in which:
  • each safety device comprises a supporting arm provided with two blocking heads which in the first configuration are located at the two seats.
  • the arm supports only one blocking head
  • the latter is preferably movable along the corresponding supporting arm for reaching in an adjustable manner the corresponding seat and for compensating in an optimal manner transversal forces transmitted to the head by the cable (in case of transversal wind for example).
  • the arm supports two blocking heads
  • the latter are preferably independently movable along the corresponding supporting arm for reaching in an adjustable manner the two seats and for compensating in an optimal manner the different transversal forces transmitted to the heads by the corresponding cables.
  • the supporting arm is a cylindrical body so that the movement along the arm of the blocking head(s) is a motion along the axis of said arm.
  • the blocking head (or heads) is pivotable about the axis of the corresponding (preferably cylindrical) supporting arm. This movement is useful because before rotating the arm it is thus possible to lift the heads from the seats so that in the subsequent rotation of the arm there is no danger of collision between heads and supporting cables.
  • the blocking head is substantially a U-shaped body so that in the first configuration it forms an inverted U-shaped seat above the seat of the cable capable of laterally blocking (holding) (inhibiting transversal movements) the supporting cable as well as superiorly restricting the displacement thereof to a maximum possible height.
  • it is necessary to leave a vertical range of movement to the cable so that it adapts to the different vertical loads that can be present.
  • the blocking head (or heads) comprises a pair of facing idle rollers which in the first configuration of the safety device are on opposite sides of the supporting cable with vertical axes (orthogonal to the axis of the cable) for enabling axial movements.
  • An axial blocking of the cable would in fact be counterproductive and would generate stresses and forces in the system.
  • each blocking head can be provided with portions which in the first configuration extend beyond the supporting cable and are in contact with (or face in proximity) the structure of the shoe below the seat.
  • Such contact portions advantageously create the discharge points on the structure of possible transversal forces generated by the cable (for example, by effect of crosswind).
  • the cable acts on the rollers of the head and the latter discharges the strains onto the shoe only at the contact portions preventing the propagation of strains in all of the mechanism. Since each head is independently movable along the axis of the arm, such characteristic is independent for each head so as to discharge in a different manner different forces acting on the two supporting cables.
  • the aforementioned contact portions can also be provided with heating devices for melting or preventing the formation of ice on the heads in the contact zone with the structure of the shoe.
  • each blocking head comprises guiding portions configured to guide the supporting cable into the seat also if partially not aligned with the theoretical position.
  • guiding portions are preferably lipped portions which in the first configuration are on opposite sides of the seat which extend axially (parallel to the axis of the cable) for a short section.
  • each aerial cable transportation system comprising at least one shoe assembly as described in the foregoing and claimed.
  • a system comprises:
  • the shoe assembly of the present invention can be provided in the fixed structure in the form both of a station and/or of pylons.
  • the present invention also refers to the method for operating the aforementioned aerial cable transportation system, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
  • Figure 1 schematically discloses a portion of an aerial cable transportation system indicated as a whole by reference numeral 1 and which can be improved thanks to the present invention.
  • the aerial cable system 1 comprises cables (indicated in Figure 1 in general by reference numeral 2) and a passenger embarkation and disembarkation station 14 is visible.
  • This example comprises two parallel branches characterizing an ascending branch and a descending branch of the system.
  • the arrows A and B in Figure 1 indicate precisely the driving directions of the ascending and descending branches.
  • Figure 1 illustrates one of the many transport units 3 present in the system, which are arranged one after the other along both the ascending and descending branches.
  • a first transport unit 3 is at the station 14 inside which the transport units 3 are usually disengaged from the cables 2.
  • the second transport unit 3 shown in Figure 1 is travelling on the ascending branch and is arranged between the station 14 and a first intermediate supporting fixed structure 15 in the form of a pylon 16.
  • the function of the pylons 16 arranged between the stations is to divide the cables into distinct spans.
  • the transport unit 3 of the shown example comprises a cabin 17 at the bottom and a supporting arm 18 (or suspension arm) at the top which connects it to the cable 2.
  • Reference numeral 19 in Figure 1 schematically shows the device that connects the supporting arm 18 to the cable 2, in Figure 2 it will be described in greater detail in the form of a trolley.
  • Figure 1 it is finally possible to note that a shoe assembly 4 for supporting the cable 2 is present at the top of the pylon 16.
  • Figure 1 shows a system with several transport units, the present invention also extends to systems with a single transport unit and/or systems in which the cabin or cabins travel in both directions on the same branch of the system.
  • Figure 2 shows the enlargement of the portion indicated by reference numeral II in Figure 1 .
  • the system 1 comprises two supporting cables 2 and one hauling cable 13.
  • the system can also comprise only one supporting cable, and the hauling cable can also be replaced by similar means adapted to control the driving of the transport unit.
  • Figure 2 shows how the arm 18 is connected to the supporting cables 2 by means of a carriage 19 provided with rollers 20 for rolling on the supporting cables 2.
  • Reference numeral 25 indicates the vice for the selective vicing to the pulling cable 13.
  • the shoe 4 is only partly visible in Figure 2 (in Figure 1 , the inlet portion 5 and the outlet portion 6 are visible very schematically).
  • the supporting cables 2 are housed at suitable U-shaped seats on the upper end of the shoe 4 while the hauling cable 13 is housed along a series of rollers 21 placed at a lower height. Therefore locally, the cable 2 can perform axial, vertical and transversal movements in which the latter are to be restricted for safety reasons and for preventing the cable 2 from coming out of the seat.
  • FIG 3 shows a portion of the system of Figure 2 in which a safety device is visible according to an embodiment of the present invention, i.e. an innovative device configured to hold (when required) the supporting cable in the seat of the shoe.
  • the seats (indicated by reference numeral 7) are two and parallel for housing the two supporting cables 2.
  • the development of the seats 7 or the axis of the supporting cables 2 defines a longitudinal direction.
  • Reference numeral 8 in Figure 3 indicates an example of an innovative safety device according to the present invention.
  • the safety device 8 comprises a substantially cylindrical arm 9 having an axis A2 which supports two blocking heads 10.
  • the arm is arranged orthogonal to and above the seats 7 and the heads 10 are at the seats 7 for holding the cables 2 in the seats 7.
  • Such configuration is the one which is imposed on the device 8 during the downtime phases of the system 1.
  • the passage over the seats must obviously be free so as not to create obstacles to the transit of the transport units.
  • Figures 4-6 show subsequent steps in which the safety device of figure 3 is in different configurations for passing from the position of Figure 3 to a position in which it frees the seats.
  • the first controlled movement is the rotation by 90° of the heads 10 about the axis A2 of the arm 9 so that the heads 10 no longer act on the cables 2.
  • the second controlled movement is the rotation of the arm 9 about the vertical axis A1 at one end thereof placed at the side of the seats 7.
  • the last controlled movement is the rotation by 90° (in a direction opposite to that of Figure 4 ) of the heads 10 about the axis A2 of the arm.
  • FIG 7 shows an enlargement of the safety device in the configuration of Figure 3 and allows appreciating how the heads 10 are made.
  • Each head comprises a base coupled to the arm 9 and a free end shaped so that in the first configuration it forms an inverted U-shaped seat over the seat 7 of the shoe 4.
  • Reference numeral 23 indicates a stop for blocking the rotation of the heads 10 in the correct position and reference numeral 11 indicates idle rollers which in such configuration have vertical axes for allowing axial movements of the cable 2.
  • Figure 8 and the enlarged detail of Figure 9 , show a front view of the assembly and allows seeing how the heads 10 do not allow the transversal coming out of the cables 2.
  • the arrows F1 and F2 in Figure 8 indicate that each head 10 is independently movable along the arm 9 (along the axis A2) while reference numeral 12 in Figure 9 schematizes portions of the heads close to or at the structure of the shoe which are heating devices (for example of the electric resistance type) suitable for preventing the formation of ice on the heads 10 in the contact zone with the structure of the shoe 4.
  • These elements 12 which can also not be of heated type, also act as discharge points for discharging the transversal forces coming from the supporting cable 2 onto the shoe 4, thus preventing the forces from passing through the entire mechanism.
  • Figure 10 allows seeing the presence of lipped portions 24 which protrude from the heads 10.
  • such portions 24 have an axial development parallel to the cable 2 and act as guiding elements for directing the cable 2 into the heads 10.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Electric Cable Installation (AREA)
EP23174450.9A 2022-05-23 2023-05-22 Shoe assembly for supporting at least a supporting cable of an aerial cable transportation system, aerial cable transportation system comprising such a shoe assembly and method for operating such an aerial cable transportation system Pending EP4282729A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT102022000010649A IT202200010649A1 (it) 2022-05-23 2022-05-23 Gruppo scarpa per supportare almeno una fune portante di un impianto aereo di trasporto a fune, impianto aereo di trasporto a fune comprendente tale gruppo scarpa e metodo di azionamento di tale impianto aereo di trasporto a fune

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP4282729A1 true EP4282729A1 (en) 2023-11-29

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP23174450.9A Pending EP4282729A1 (en) 2022-05-23 2023-05-22 Shoe assembly for supporting at least a supporting cable of an aerial cable transportation system, aerial cable transportation system comprising such a shoe assembly and method for operating such an aerial cable transportation system

Country Status (2)

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EP (1) EP4282729A1 (it)
IT (1) IT202200010649A1 (it)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS4418736Y1 (it) * 1965-01-01 1969-08-13
EP3254921A1 (en) * 2016-06-09 2017-12-13 Ropfin B.V. Shoe for a cable transportation system with at least one carrying cable

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS4418736Y1 (it) * 1965-01-01 1969-08-13
EP3254921A1 (en) * 2016-06-09 2017-12-13 Ropfin B.V. Shoe for a cable transportation system with at least one carrying cable

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Publication number Publication date
IT202200010649A1 (it) 2023-11-23

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