FR3051759B1 - TRANSPORT VEHICLE TO BE TRACTED BY AN AIR CABLE AND INSTALLATION COMPRISING SUCH A VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

Transport vehicle intended to be towed by an overhead cable (2), comprising an attachment device (4) configured to hook the vehicle to the overhead cable (2), a carrier structure (6) configured to support at least one seat ( 7 to 9), and a hanger (5) connecting the carrier structure (6) to the attachment device (4), said at least one seat (7 to 9) being rotatably mounted on the carrier structure (6).

Description

Transport vehicle intended to be towed by an aerial cable and installation comprising such a vehicle

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to transport by aerial cable, and more particularly to the chairlift-type installations and the vehicles of these installations. State of the art

Currently, many chairlifts are used to carry passengers at altitude and are mostly old. A chairlift is a transport facility equipped with seats suspended from an aerial cable, both carrier and tractor.

There may be mentioned the Swiss patent application CH704725 which discloses a chairlift with each seat having seats, a clamp gripping the towing cable of the chairlift, a hanger extending along a longitudinal axis oriented vertically and connected to the clamp, and a horizontal support located above the seats and coupled to the hanger via a pivot connection so that the horizontal support can rotate about the longitudinal axis of the hanger. This chairlift makes it possible to turn the seats of the seats to one side of the chairlift to provide an unobstructed view of the landscape on this side.

But this type of chairlift does not provide thrills because passengers are kept in a comfortable position. In addition, these chairlifts are generally operated in winter and are not, or not, used in the summer.

There is therefore a need to use chair lifts in summer when passengers can not ski, and more particularly to offer thrilling chairlifts that can be used both in summer and winter.

Object of the invention

An object of the invention is to overcome these disadvantages, and more particularly to provide means to create thrills to passengers transported by aerial cable tractor safely.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a transport vehicle intended to be towed by an overhead cable, comprising a hooking device configured to hook the vehicle to the overhead cable, a support structure configured to support at least one seat, and a suspension connecting the carrier structure to the attachment device.

In this vehicle, the seat is rotatably mounted on the support structure.

Thus, the vehicle provides thrills safely because the carrier structure can remain attached to the hanger.

The hanger may extend along a longitudinal axis and said at least one seat is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

Thus, the passengers are inclined in the direction of movement of the seat which provides unprecedented sensations that are stronger than those provided by traditional chairlifts. In addition, such a vehicle allows to bring the passengers to the ground to increase the feeling of speed, which accentuates the thrills.

The seat may include a harness pivotally mounted on the seat between a raised position in which access to the seat is permitted and a lowered position to provide protection for a passenger sitting on the seat.

The vehicle may include a tilt system configured to rotate said at least one seat relative to a seat reference position.

The seat can be configured to rotate about the axis of rotation so that the field of view of the passenger sitting in the seat is oriented towards the ground.

The vehicle may comprise several seats located next to each other along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an overhead cable transport installation, comprising at least one vehicle as defined above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other advantages and features will become more clearly apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention given by way of nonlimiting example and represented in the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. schematically illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a cable transport installation according to the invention; - Figure 2 schematically illustrates a side view of a vehicle according to the invention wherein the seat occupies a reference position; and - Figure 3 schematically illustrates a side view of the vehicle of Figure 2 where the seat is rotated relative to its reference position.

detailed description

FIG. 1 shows an installation 1 for transport by overhead cable 2, comprising at least one vehicle 3. The installation 1 is preferably a chairlift comprising an aerial cable 2 which is both tractor and carrier on which the vehicles 3 to pull them. Each vehicle 3 comprises a coupling device 4, a suspension 5 and a supporting structure 6. The attachment device 4 is configured to hook the vehicle 3 to the aerial traction cable 2. The attachment device 6 may be a fixed gripper , for a coupling of the vehicle 3 permanently to the cable 2, or a detachable clip to hook the vehicle 3 removably to the cable 2. The hanger 5 is connected to the attachment device 4, and extends along a longitudinal axis L. The longitudinal axis L is oriented vertically when the vehicle 3 is stationary. The carrier structure 6 is connected to the hanger 5 by a first end of the hanger 5. Furthermore, the hanger 5 is connected to the hooking device 4 by a second end of the hanger 5 opposite to the first. In particular, the attachment device 4 hooks the vehicle 3 to the aerial cable 2 at a point of attachment. In other words the longitudinal axis L passes through the first end of the hanger 5 and the aerial cable 2, that is to say the attachment point of the attachment device 4. The carrier structure 6 can be formed from an assembly of cylindrical elements, which may be bars, or tubes, or solid rods, or a combination of the three. By cylinder is meant a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface generated by a set of parallel straight lines, denoted generators, based on a closed planar curve, denoted as a director, and two planes intersecting the generatrices. In general, the support structure 6 forms a frame connected to the hanger 5.

In addition, the vehicle 3 comprises at least one seat 7 to 9 mounted on the carrier structure 6 and suspended from the cable 2 when the vehicle 3 is hooked to the cable 2. For example, the vehicle 3 may comprise several seats 7 to 9 located on the next to each other along a main axis R perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. The main axis R can also be perpendicular to an attachment axis X of the attachment device 4. The attachment axis X is a axis along which the towing cable 2 extends when the attachment device 4 is hooked to the towing cable 2. The hooking axis X extends in the direction of the direction of movement of the vehicle 3 when the latter is towed by the towing cable 2. More particularly, the seats 7 to 9 are of the bucket type, that is to say the individual seats whose backrest fits the loins of a passenger, so that the passengers are wedged in the seat 7 to 9.

In particular, the vehicle 3 comprises at least one seat 7 to 9 rotatably mounted on the carrier structure 6 about an axis of rotation R perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. The axis of rotation R corresponds to the main axis R described above. Preferably, all the seats 7 to 9 are rotatably mounted about the axis of rotation R. As a variant, it can be envisaged that the seats 7 to 9 have different axes of rotation from one another. For example, all the axes of rotation of the seats 7 to 9 are parallel to each other and are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. When the seats 7 to 9 have the same axis of rotation R, the axis of rotation R can be located in the middle of the frame formed by the supporting structure 6. For example, the axis of rotation R passes through all the seat backs. It can also be located in a part of the frame located near the line 5.

Preferably, each seat 7 to 9 comprises a harness 10 pivotally mounted on the seat 7 to 9 between a raised position in which access to the seat 7 to 9 is allowed, and a lowered position to provide protection for a passenger sitting on the seat. seat 7 to 9. In addition, each seat 7 to 9 can be equipped with a railing 11 pivotally mounted between a raised position and a lowered position so as to immobilize the legs of the passenger. In particular, the harness 10 is shaped to protect the trunk of the passenger by wedging between the backrest and the harness 10 when the harness 10 is in the lowered position. One can also design a specific protection harness that can both wedge the trunk and legs of the passenger, and in this case the railing 11 is no longer necessary.

Preferably, the vehicle 3 comprises a tilting system 12 configured to rotate the seats 7 to 9 in rotation with respect to respective reference positions of the seats 7 to 9. A reference position may be a position in which the seat back seat is vertical and the seat seat is horizontal, as shown in Figure 2. In addition, the inclination system 12 may comprise a transmission element 13, a rotation mechanism 14, and a transmission cable 15 connecting the rotation mechanism 14 with the transmission element 13. The rotation mechanism 14 may comprise a set of gears configured to rotate the seats 7 to 9, and controlled by cylinders, hydraulic or pneumatic, or controlled by one or several electric motors. The transmission cable 15 is then an electric cable connected to the cylinders or the electric motors and the transmission element 13 is a control button 13. In a variant, the rotation mechanism 14 comprises a wireless device for controlling the actuators or the actuators. electric motors, the wireless device being controlled by the control knob 13 and the electric cable 15 is no longer necessary. Preferably, the gear assembly of the rotation mechanism 14 is controlled by a transmission cable 15 of the mechanical type. The mechanical type cable 15 may be flexible. According to another variant, the cable of the mechanical type can be replaced by several rods hinged together. The transmission element 13 may be a lever arm. In particular, the lever arm 13 is movably mounted on the carrier structure 6, between a first position P in which the lever arm 13 raises the seats 7 to 9 in their reference position, and a second position Q in which the arm lever 13 inclines the seats 7 to 9. It is meant here by raising, the fact that the seats 7 to 9 are directed upwards, in particular to the attachment device 4, that is to say that the top folders are directed to the attachment device 4. Conversely, it is meant by tilting, the fact that the seats 7 to 9 are directed towards the ground, in other words the top of the files are removed from the device. 4 hanging, that is to say close to the ground. Preferably, the seats 7 to 9 are configured to rotate about their axes of rotation so that the field of view V of passengers sitting in the seats is oriented towards the ground. The orientation of the passenger's field of view V is represented by the reference O. In other words, the seats are inclined in the direction of the attachment axis X, that is to say in the direction 3. When the seats 7 to 9 are inclined, the passengers are in a pronounced position facing the ground, which creates thrills. In addition, the inclination of seats 7 to 9 modifies the traditional passenger markers where the trunk of the passengers is held vertically, which accentuates the thrills.

In Figure 2, there is shown seats 7 to 9 immobile station and occupying their reference position. In the reference position, the lever arm 13 occupies its first position P. The harnesses 10 and the guardrails are raised and the passengers can embark in the seats 7 to 9. Then we lower the harnesses 10 and the railings 11, as shown in Figure 2. Once the passengers are wedged in the seats 7 to 9, the user inclines the seats 7 to 9 in the direction of the ground by moving the lever arm 13 in its second position Q, as illustrated in Figure 3. The vehicle 3 is then ready to be towed by the cable 2. More particularly, the seats 7 to 9 retain their inclined positions for the duration of the trip to the terminal end station. The passengers are thus suspended in the vacuum with their field of vision V oriented towards the ground. Such a vehicle provides new sensations stronger than those that can be experienced with a traditional chairlift.

Alternatively, the lever arm 13 may comprise a roller 16, fixed or movable, to automatically trigger the inclination of the seats 7 to 9. For example, the embarkation and disembarkation stations may include triggers, such as rails or cams, which cooperate with the roller 16 when the vehicle 3 is moved to the station and passes the trigger. It is thus possible to propose an installation 1 in which the passengers embark in the seats 7 to 9, while the vehicle 3 is moving in the station. In addition, when the trigger of the boarding station comes into contact with the roller 16, the seats 7 to 9 are inclined in the boarding station and before the exit of the vehicle 3 from the boarding station. Conversely, the landing station comprises a reverse release which raises the roller 16 and brings the lever arm 13 in its first position to bring the seats 7 to 9 in the reference position in the landing station. When the vehicle 3 has reached the landing station, the tilt system 12 can raise the seats 7 to 9 to return to their reference positions to facilitate the landing of passengers. The installation and vehicle described above create new, stronger sensations than those provided by traditional chairlifts.

Claims (5)

claims A transport vehicle intended to be towed by an overhead cable (2), comprising a hooking device (4) configured to hook the vehicle to the overhead cable (2), a carrier structure (6) configured to support at least one seat (7 to 9), and a hanger (5) connecting the support structure (6) to the attachment device (4), the hanger (5) extending along a longitudinal axis (L) and said at least one seat (7 to 9) being rotatably mounted on the supporting structure (6) about an axis of rotation (R) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L), characterized in that said at least one seat (7) to 9) is configured to rotate about the axis of rotation (R) so that the field of view (V) of the passenger seated in the seat (7 to 9) is oriented towards the ground. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said at least one seat (7 to 9) comprises a harness (10) pivotally mounted on the seat (7 to 9) between a raised position in which an access to the seat (7 to 9) ) is authorized and a lowered position to provide protection for a passenger seated on the seat (7 to 9). A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a tilt system (12) configured to rotate said at least one seat (7-9) with respect to a reference position of the seat (7-9). 4. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3, comprising several seats (7 to 9) located next to each other along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L). 5. Overhead cable transport installation, comprising at least one vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 4.