ITVR20090021A1 - FUNIVIARY TROLLEY WITH ROPE TRACES, FUNIVARY VEHICLE AND FUNCTIONAL PLANT. - Google Patents

Description

FUNIVIARY TROLLEY WITH ROPES TRAENTI, FUNIVIARIO VEHICLE

AND FUNIVIARY PLANT

DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally refers to a means of transport pulled by ropes; more particularly, the subject of the present disclosure is a ropeway trolley of the type moved by hauling ropes. Objects of the present disclosure are also a cable car vehicle and a cable car system.

Cableway installations are known, for example of the aerial type, in which a cabin is suspended from carrying ropes by means of a cableway trolley and a suspension interposed between the cableway trolley and the cabin. The cab, the trolley and the suspension therefore form a ropeway vehicle.

In some systems of the known art, the cabin is suspended on two fixed supporting ropes, stretched between an upstream cableway station and a valley cableway station. The supporting ropes are arranged so as to extend near opposite sides of the trolley and at a distance between them which is greater than the width of the cabin. This solution has the advantage of preventing the car from coming into contact with the load-bearing ropes in a section of the route with a high slope or in case of oscillations of the car in its forward plane, and at the same time allows the use of a short suspension, so ¬ by limiting the overall height of the vehicle and therefore of the cable car stations between which it travels.

The movement of the ropeway vehicle is carried out by means of pulling ropes to which the ropeway trolley is fixed. The hauling ropes are set in motion by a motor system, usually located in a motor cableway station, so as to drag the vehicle with it. In some plants the hauling ropes coincide with the supporting ropes (and therefore the same rope has both a supporting function and a handling function), while in other plants the hauling ropes are distinct from the supporting ropes.

In one type of plant, the hauling ropes are also two ropes independent of each other and arranged parallel to the supporting ropes; they are fixed to opposite sides of the trolley, so as to provide a pulling force on the cableway vehicle that is ideally equal on each side so as not to produce twisting moments on the vehicle itself.

These prior art systems, although advantageous from various points of view, have some drawbacks that have not yet been overcome.

A first drawback resides in the need to coordinate the movements of the two hauling ropes in an extremely precise way. In fact, if a hauling rope has a different speed from the other, even if the difference in speed is small, the cable car fixed to both hauling ropes is dragged on its two sides with different speeds: it would therefore be subject to a twisting moment. which causes a rotation of the trolley itself on the plane defined by the pulling cables and the disengagement of the trolley from the supporting cables and / or the breaking of the pulling cables. This would cause serious damage to the plant and, in the case of an aerial cable car, would cause the cable car vehicle to fall into the void. The displacement in the movement of one hauling rope with respect to the other is therefore to be absolutely avoided.

To achieve and maintain the coordination of the movement of the hauling ropes it is necessary to use expensive and complex regulation and control devices housed in the driving station. In fact, coordination must be constantly guaranteed, even in the face of progressive wear of the motor devices and of the ropes, or of variations in the tensioning force of each pulling rope.

Over time, the driving pulleys and the return pulleys between which the hauling ropes are stretched can undergo different degrees of wear on the grooves that accommodate the hauling ropes themselves. Therefore, for example, the driving pulley of a hauling cable can take on a slightly different diameter over time from the driving pulley of the other hauling cable and, even if the driving pulleys have the same angular rotation speed, the hauling cables will have different linear speeds.

In addition to the difference in diameter of the driving pulleys, there may also be a difference in friction force between the groove of the driving pulley (or the lining of the same, or a layer of rubber or plastic material placed in the groove of the pulley to increase friction. with the rope) and the hauling rope, due to uneven greasing of the hauling rope or inclement weather along the route line, such as a snow or ice sleeve on a section of the hauling rope. This can cause less local adhesion between the hauling rope and the driving pulley, with a partial relative slip, and therefore a difference in speed between the two hauling ropes.

The regulation and control device must be able to detect and correct this speed difference, which even if very small is still dangerous, and possibly block the system to allow maintenance and / or replacement of the driving pulleys. The plants of the known art therefore require frequent and expensive maintenance.

It should also be considered that the general operating regulations of cableway installations prescribe mechanical braking which must intervene on each driving pulley when the vehicle enters the station; in this case, the need to maintain the coordination of the movement of the hauling cables even during braking is further complicated by the fact that the braking force and the braking distance are very difficult to adjust.

Another drawback of the prior art systems is linked to the fact that, in the event that the vehicle encounters a fixed obstacle along its path (for example a tree or a pylon) such as to prevent its advancement, the hauling ropes continue in any case. to exert a traction force on the truck and therefore can cause damage to the vehicle and the entire system.

A similar drawback is encountered when, when the vehicle enters the station, the engine system does not stop, or due to a programming error the vehicle enters the station with too high a speed. In these cases, the vehicle can collide with the limit switches in the station, stopping instantly and, due to the moving masses of the pulleys and ropes, causing the pulling ropes to break and tear.

A technical problem underlying the present disclosure resides in providing a cable car trolley capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks and / or achieving further advantages, in providing a cable car vehicle comprising said cable car trolley, as well as in providing a cableway system or cableway which includes said cableway vehicle.

This technical problem is solved by a cable car of the type adapted to be moved by two pulling cables, in which said cable car comprises a frame, a first pulley pivoted to said frame and able to cooperate in friction with a portion of a first pulling cable , and a second pulley pivoted to said frame and adapted to cooperate by friction with a portion of a second pulling cable, further comprising a connection device interposed between said first pulley and said second pulley, in which said connection device, in a condition operating and in the event of a difference in speed between said first hauling cable and said second hauling cable, it is adapted to correlate an angular displacement of said first pulley with an angular displacement of said second pulley, so that an angular velocity of said first pulley is proportional to an angular speed of said second pulley according to a constant of proportionality .

The aforementioned technical problem is further solved by a cable car vehicle according to claim 15 and by a cable car system according to claim 16.

Secondary characteristics of the object of the present disclosure are defined in the corresponding dependent claims.

In the present disclosure, the expression "cooperate by friction" means that a friction force is established between a pulley and a respective cable, in particular between a perimeter groove of the pulley (possibly provided with a lining) and a portion of the cable received in said groove, the friction force being such that in normal operating conditions there is no slippage between the pulley and the rope, but on the contrary a linear displacement of the rope with respect to the pulley is accompanied by an angular displacement or rotation of the pulley for a corresponding angle dependent on the amount of linear displacement of the rope and on the radius of the pulley at the groove.

This is obtained for example by providing that a portion of the hauling cable is arranged in a ring around the respective pulley.

According to another point of view, the aforesaid technical problem is solved by a cable car trolley of the type adapted to be moved by two pulling cables, comprising a frame, a first pulley pivoted to said frame and able to cooperate in friction with a portion of a first pulling cable, and a second pulley pivoted to said frame and adapted to cooperate by friction with a portion of a second pulling cable, further comprising a connection device interposed between said first pulley and said second pulley, in which, in a condition operative, said connection device is able to place said first pulley and said second pulley in a mutual static equilibrium in case of equal traction forces acting on said first pulley and on said second pulley, and said connection device is adapted to placing said first pulley and said second pulley in mutual dynamic equilibrium in the event of different traction forces acting on said pr a pulley and on said second pulley.

In the context of the present disclosure, the term static equilibrium means that, if the two pulleys are subjected to equal traction forces by the pulling ropes, the two pulleys are constrained by the connection device in such a way as to have a relative rotation of the pulleys nothing, and in which there are no local forces that can engage this relative rotation. In other words, the pulleys do not rotate relative to the frame.

The term dynamic equilibrium means that, if the two pulleys are subjected to traction forces different in intensity (for example due to a different speed of the pulling ropes), the pulleys interact with each other, through the connection device, with a relative rotation with respect to each other, such that the pulleys rotate with respect to the frame and the entire frame is moved at a uniform linear speed, that is, all the parts of the frame move at the same linear speed.

For example, this dynamic equilibrium is obtained by ensuring that, in the condition in which one hauling rope is faster than the other, the difference in speed is compensated by the connection device by means of a rotation, in the opposite direction with respect to the direction of faster advancement of the hauling ropes, of the pulley connected to the rope (thus realizing a retraction of the pulley with respect to the respective hauling rope) and a rotation in the direction of advancement for the pulley connected to the slower rope (thus realizing in fact an advancement of the pulley with respect to the respective pulling rope). In the overall pulley and frame system, the linear speed of the frame is therefore uniformly distributed.

In other words, there is a dynamic equilibrium between the two pulleys when speed variations of the two hauling ropes are compensated by suitable rotations of the two pulleys such as to maintain a uniform linear speed of the entire frame.

As a result, an excess force acting on one pulley is redistributed on the other pulley in order to compensate for the difference in force, and to ensure that the frame maintains a uniform linear speed.

The subject matter of this disclosure provides some relevant benefits.

A first advantage consists in the fact that any speed differences between the hauling ropes are compensated independently by the trolley itself, without the need to install expensive and bulky regulation and control devices in the drive station, as in the case of different speeds, a part of the motion in excess imparted by the faster rope is proportionally distributed to the pulley of the slower rope through the connecting device, so that the trolley is affected by a uniformly distributed traction speed.

The basic principle of operation of the object of this disclosure is in fact that, in the event of a difference in speed between the hauling ropes, the trolley assumes an intermediate speed between the speeds of the hauling ropes, and the difference in speed between the trolley and each hauling cable is compensated by a differentiated rotation of the respective pulley. As will become clearer in the following, the peripheral speed assumed by the pulley at the groove is equal to the difference in speed between the hauling cable and the trolley.

The correlation of the rotations of the two pulleys means that the speed of the trolley is univocally determined by a combination or distribution of the speeds of the hauling ropes, once the constructive characteristics of the trolley and the connecting device have been fixed.

Thanks to this, the traction force on the trolley is balanced on both sides and the trolley is not subject to dangerous twisting moments that could cause it to disconnect from the supporting ropes or damage the system.

Furthermore, the connection device according to the present disclosure allows the speed of the trolley to be automatically adapted to that of the hauling ropes, in particular so that the speed of the trolley is intermediate between the speeds of the hauling ropes, for any speed value of the hauling ropes and difference in speed between them. The need for frequent maintenance is therefore reduced, because the trolley can easily tolerate differences in speed between the hauling ropes that would be unacceptable for systems of known technique.

Particularly in the case of a system with a limited slope, if a hauling rope is blocked, for example due to a fault in the station of a driving or return pulley, or damage to the same, such that the hauling rope remains under tension , It is possible to bring the vehicle back into a station by moving only the other rope, without causing any danger or damage to the vehicle trolley.

A further advantage is that the use of pulleys to associate the trolley with the hauling ropes is simpler and lighter than the known art, also from the point of view of ease of maintenance.

Finally, the object of this disclosure is suitable for pre-assembly in the workshop of most of the components, thanks to their simplicity of assembly. This allows a considerable reduction in construction and installation times. In one embodiment, the connecting device can assume an inoperative condition in which an angular displacement of the first pulley cooperating with the first hauling rope is not correlated with an angular displacement of the second pulley cooperating with the second hauling rope. In this non-operative condition, the rotation of one pulley is independent of the other, as well as of the carriage. This is particularly advantageous in the event that the vehicle encounters an obstacle along the route that prevents it from moving forward.

In fact, in this situation the inoperative condition assumed by the connection device allows the pulleys to rotate under the action of the pulling ropes without this entailing an excessive traction force transmitted to the obstructed trolley. In other words, in this situation the vehicle is decoupled from the pulling ropes, which can slide with respect to the trolley. This avoids the establishment of an excessive stress acting on the hauling ropes and / or on the vehicle and which could damage the vehicle and the system (for example by tearing the hauling ropes due to excessive traction in them), as well as being very dangerous for passengers in the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the constant of proportionality between the speeds of the pulleys is such that the angular velocity of the first pulley and the angular velocity of the second pulley are equal in value and opposite in direction. In this case, if the first pulley is equal to the second pulley and they are associated identically to the respective traction rope, the vehicle travels at a speed that is equal to the average between the speeds of the traction cables.

The connecting device can be made in different ways.

In a first embodiment, the connecting device comprises a first gear which is rotated by and correlated with the first pulley, a second gear which is rotated by and correlated with the second pulley, and a third gear which engages the first gear and the second gear at the same time. In other words, the third gear conditions the rotation of the first pulley to the rotation of the second pulley, being interposed between them. In particular, it prevents a rotation of the first gear, and therefore of the first pulley, in a direction concordant (or discordant, according to an alternative configuration) to the rotation of the second gear, and therefore of the second pulley, and correlates its rotation in an upward direction (or concorde, according to said alternative configuration). The diameters and characteristics of the gears, for example of their toothing, also determine said proportionality ratio between the rotation speeds of the pulleys.

In a particular embodiment, the axis of rotation of the third gear is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the first gear and to the axis of rotation of the second gear. More specifically, the gears are truncated cone sprockets. This allows for optimal mutual engagement of the gears, which may be in a similar arrangement to that of the gears in a car differential.

In a more specific embodiment, the connecting device comprises a frame, to which the first, second and third gears are pivoted, for example by means of ball bearings. The first and second gears are pivoted in such a way that their axes of rotation coincide. This also allows the rotation axes of the pulleys to coincide and to create a connection device with small dimensions and which can be easily interposed between the two pulleys. Furthermore, the frame is adapted to perform an angular displacement or rotation with respect to an axis which coincides with the axis of rotation of the first and second gear, and is orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the third gear. In this case, the connection device has some similarities in operation with a differential of a car. When the rotation of the frame with respect to this axis is prevented, said third gear correlates or blocks the rotation of the first and second gears and therefore correlates the rotation of the pulleys according to said proportionality constant, or blocks them. When the rotation of the frame with respect to this axis is free and allowed, the combination of the rotation movements of the frame and the third gear means that the first and second gears can rotate independently of each other and therefore the rotations of the pulleys are no longer correlated with each other.

For this purpose, in one embodiment, the carriage further comprises a brake adapted to prevent angular displacement or rotation of the frame; the brake is active in said operating condition. In said non-operative condition, the brake is instead in the deactivated state and allows said angular displacement.

In particular, the brake is able to be in an inactive state when a moment of force acting on the frame is greater than a threshold value, and the brake is able to be in an active state when the moment of force is lower. of said threshold value. The moment of force exerted by the hauling ropes on the pulleys is transmitted to the frame and therefore, if the vehicle is prevented from moving forward because it is blocked against an obstacle, the high tension that is established in the hauling ropes causes exceed the threshold or safety value for the moment of force. The consequent deactivation of the brake frees the rotation of the frame and of the pulleys, decreasing the tension in the pulling cables and bringing it back within safe values. The decrease in the moment of force reactivates the brake, which thus locks the frame and pulleys again, preventing the vehicle from sliding freely along the ropes. If the obstacle is still present, the threshold value is exceeded and the brake is deactivated again. The brake therefore operates in an alternation of activation and deactivation states, which avoids excessive tension in the hauling ropes and at the same time prevents the vehicle from moving in an uncontrolled manner.

In another embodiment of the connecting device, it comprises a first related gear rotating with the first pulley and a second related gear rotating with the second pulley, said first and second gears being engaged with each other. . A device made in this way is more compact than the previous ones and requires fewer components. In any case, it too prevents a rotation of the first gear, and therefore of the first pulley, in a direction concordant (or discordant, according to an alternative configuration) to the rotation of the second gear, and therefore of the second pulley, and correlates its rotation in towards discordant (or concordant, according to said alternative configuration). The diameters and characteristics of the gears, for example of their toothing, also determine said proportionality ratio between the rotation speeds of the pulleys. This connection device is essentially a reverse rotation gearbox.

In a preferred embodiment, a transmission device is also provided interposed between one of said first or second gear and the respective first or second pulley; the transmission device comprises a torque limiter able to transmit, between the gear and the pulley, a moment of force lower than a threshold value. In other words, the transmission device is able to place itself in an active state in an operative condition when said moment of force is less than the threshold value, and in an inactive state in a non-operative condition when the moment of force is greater than the value. threshold. The effect of this is similar to what is described above for the brake on the frame of the connecting device according to previous embodiments: the rotation of the pulleys is correlated or prevented when the moment of force is less than a threshold value or safety, and is unrelated when the moment of force is greater than the threshold value. In alternative embodiments, the connecting device includes gears and chains, or hydraulic motors or electric motors managed by a suitable control system.

In one embodiment, the connection device is housed in proximity to a side of the trolley frame, more particularly in proximity to one of the two pulleys, so as to facilitate its assembly and not require a special structure for bridge support between the two pulleys. In fact, the connection device can be fixed to a lateral beam to which a pulley is hinged, and the connection with the other pulley is easily obtained by means of a shaft, of limited diameter, which crosses the space between the two pulleys.

The absence of a bridge structure between the two sides of the trolley, also made possible by the fact that the hauling ropes do not exert transversal forces directed along the straight line joining the first and second pulleys, allows to limit the overall mass of the trolley.

In one embodiment, each of said pulleys is correlated in rotation with a respective pinion pivoted to the frame of the carriage, which pinion cooperates with said connection device. In other words, each pulley does not directly drive one of the gears of the connecting device, but instead, for example by means of a suitable toothed wheel integral in rotation with the pulley itself, is engaged with a pinion which is integral in rotation with one of said gears of the connecting device. By choosing a pinion with a smaller diameter than the diameter of the pulley sprocket, it is possible to reduce the moment of force transmitted to the connecting device, and therefore to use shafts and gears of small size and limited mass.

In one embodiment, a portion of the haul rope is arranged in a ring around the respective first or second pulley. This solution does not require any type of clamping, or anchoring (for example, clamps or spindles) between the hauling rope and the trolley, facilitating both assembly and visual and magnetic-inductive inspections on the hauling rope.

In another embodiment, each of said first pulley and second pulley is flanked by a respective auxiliary pulley pivoted to the frame of the trolley and flanked, for example coplanar, with the respective first or second pulley; said auxiliary pulley is able to cooperate in friction with a portion of the respective pulling cable and is correlated in rotation with the respective first or second pulley. In other words, each haul rope acts simultaneously on a pair of pulleys placed side by side and correlated in rotation. In particular, a portion of the hauling cable is arranged in a ring between the respective first or second pulley and the respective auxiliary pulley. This allows to obtain a symmetrical distribution of the components of the trolley, a greater stability of the same, and a more homogeneous traction force.

In particular, said auxiliary pulley is correlated in rotation with the aforementioned pinion, for example by means of a toothed wheel integral in rotation with the auxiliary pulley and which engages the pinion. The pinion is interposed between the respective first or second pulley and the auxiliary pulley. Therefore, on each side it is the same pinion that acts as a rotation correlator between the pair of pulleys on the same side.

In one embodiment, the hauling ropes also act as load-bearing ropes.

In another embodiment, the carrying ropes are distinct from the hauling ropes and are two in number. In this case, the cableway trolley comprises two groups of rollers arranged on opposite sides of the frame of the trolley, in particular in proximity to the first and second pulley respectively; each group of rollers is able to cooperate with a respective carrying cable, for example by resting on the carrying cable, and cooperating with friction with it. Therefore, the load-bearing function is distinct from the hauling function and this allows the use of hauling ropes with a reduced diameter, since the weight of the vehicle is supported by the load-bearing ropes. There are therefore fewer moving masses and less power is required from the system's motor.

In a preferred embodiment, each haul rope is arranged in a closed loop between a driving pulley in a first station (driving station) and a driven return pulley in the second station (return station). Two separate rings of hauling ropes are therefore defined.

A ropeway vehicle comprises a ropeway trolley associated with a cabin, in particular by means of a suspension.

In one embodiment, the distance between the first and second pulley is greater than the width of the cabin and, if said rollers for supporting ropes are present, the distance between the two sets of rollers is greater than the width of the cabin. In other words, the distance between the hauling ropes and the distance between the supporting ropes are both greater than the width of the cabin. In this way there is no danger that the car can touch the ropes in case of longitudinal oscillations in the vertical plane of advancement due to the wind, or in the case of a steep slope. It is therefore possible to use a short suspension between the trolley and the cabin, and thus severely limit the overall height of the ropeway vehicle. In addition to the greater constructive simplicity of the suspension, the reduced height of the vehicle is advantageous because it allows to similarly limit the height of the station buildings, reducing costs and environmental impact.

Furthermore, a greater distance between the two load-bearing ropes confers greater stability of the vehicle with respect to the wind transversal to the direction of motion; this can also be exploited in the station entry phase, which can take place at a higher speed thanks to the greater transversal stability, and allows the dimensions of the entry guides to be limited to a minimum. Longer spans between successive supports of the supporting cables are also allowed. In addition to this, the passage of the vehicle itself on portal-type supports is facilitated by the lack of transverse oscillation and by the absence of deviation between the axis of the support roller conveyor and the axis of the supporting cable, completely excluding any derailing. of the carrying ropes from the roller conveyors. Finally, the lateral guides on the supports can be omitted and also in possible intermediate stations no further lateral guides on the supports are necessary.

Finally, it should be noted that the connection device makes the presence on the trolley superabundant of an automatic braking device which acts on the load-bearing cables, saving the vehicle weight and costs. In fact, even in the event of breakage of the motor of the driving pulleys, the vehicle is in any case prevented from sliding freely along the load-bearing ropes. If the hauling ropes both have zero speed, the vehicle remains stationary, even if the path is sloping. In the event that a hauling cable has a malfunction (for example due to the breakage of a bearing of a driving or return pulley), the other hauling cable, being independent from the first, is still sufficient to drag the vehicle, although with a reduced speed compared to normal operating conditions. In other words, if both hauling ropes are intact, the vehicle can be dragged into the station even if one hauling rope loop remains stationary. For this purpose, in addition to a main motor system for the simultaneous movement of both hauling ropes, it is possible to provide independent auxiliary motors that each act on a respective hauling rope.

Furthermore, it is possible to arrange a braking system which acts automatically and directly on said first and second pulley of the trolley. In this way, if a hauling cable breaks, the braking system blocks the rotation of the first and second pulleys and, in particular if the slope of the path is limited, the vehicle can be dragged into the station by acting on the other hauling rope again. intact. However, it is still possible to provide an automatic braking device mounted on the trolley and which acts on the supporting ropes in the event of an emergency.

The cableway can be a single-way run, with one or more vehicles traveling to and fro along the same route.

Alternatively, a two-way system can be created by arranging two one-way systems in parallel and electronically synchronizing their motors. In this way there are two paths that are mechanically independent, but electronically synchronized.

Another alternative provides for arranging the hauling ropes so that a closed loop of a first hauling rope encloses a closed loop of a second hauling rope, so as to define two runways: each runway comprises a section in which the two hauling ropes are parallel to each other and have a concordant direction of movement. The direction of movement in a first runway is opposite to the direction of movement in the second runway. Each runway also includes one or more ropeway vehicles associated with the hauling ropes.

Other advantages, characteristics and methods of use of the object of the present disclosure will become evident from the following detailed description of some of its preferred embodiments, given by way of non-limiting example. However, it is evident that each embodiment can present one or more of the advantages listed above; in any case, each embodiment is not required to simultaneously present all the listed advantages. It should also be noted that the embodiments described refer in particular to aerial cableways, in which a vehicle (be it a passenger cabin or a container for transporting material) is suspended from ropes and is moved by means of of hauling ropes. However, the principles underlying the present disclosure are similarly applicable also to a cableway, for example a funicular, in which a vehicle travels on a ground, or on tracks, or on a liquid surface, and is moved by means of hauling cables; in these cases there would be no need for carrying ropes.

In the present disclosure, the terms "cableway" and "cableway" must therefore generally refer to a vehicle pulled by a cableway along a predetermined path. Reference will be made to the figures of the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic and simplified plan view of a cableway system according to the present disclosure, in an operating condition;

Figure 2 shows a side view of a ropeway vehicle according to the present disclosure;

Figure 3 shows a front view of the ropeway vehicle of Figure 2;

figure 4A shows a simplified schematic side view with detached parts of a particular IV of figure 2, from which some parts have been removed;

figure 4B shows a top view of an alternative embodiment of the detail IV of figure 2, from which some parts have been removed;

Figure 5 shows a top view of the ropeway vehicle of Figure 2;

figure 6 shows a top view of a detail VI of figure 5 on an enlarged scale;

figure 7 shows a perspective view of detail VI of figure 5 on an enlarged scale;

Figure 8 shows a schematic and simplified plan view of the cableway plant of Figure 1, in another operating condition;

Figure 9 shows a schematic and simplified plan view of the cableway plant of Figure 1, in yet another operating condition;

Figure 10 shows a top view of another embodiment of a ropeway vehicle according to the present disclosure;

Figure 11 shows a side view of a trolley of the ropeway vehicle of Figure 10;

- figure 12 shows a simplified schematic view with detached parts of a particular XII of figure 11, from which some parts have been removed;

Figure 13 shows a top view of still another embodiment of a ropeway vehicle according to the present disclosure;

- figure 14 shows a side view of a trolley of the ropeway vehicle of figure - figure 15 shows a simplified schematic view with detached parts of a particular XV of figure 14, from which some parts have been removed;

figure 16 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a connection device as an alternative to the connection device according to detail VI of figure 5;

Figure 17 shows a sectional top view of the device of Figure 16, taken at the section plane and in the direction indicated by the section lines XVII-XVII;

Figure 18 shows a schematic and simplified plan view of another embodiment of a cableway system according to the present disclosure;

- figure 19 shows a simplified schematic view with detached parts of a detail XIX of figure 18, from which some parts have been removed;

Figure 20 shows a schematic and simplified plan view of another embodiment of a cableway system according to the present disclosure;

figure 21 shows a side view of a detail XXI of figure 20;

With reference initially to Figure 1, the reference number 100 indicates a cableway or cableway system according to the present disclosure. In particular, lift 100 is a one-way cableway system.

The plant 100 comprises two supporting ropes 81, 82 parallel to each other, each having a first end 83 constrained to a fastening structure 86 and a second end 84 constrained to a tensioning system, for example a counterweight 87, which exerts on the second end 84 a force directed to move it away from the first end 83. The fixing structure 86 and the counterweight system 87, in the figures shown schematically, can be considered of known technique and therefore, being within the reach of the skilled in the art, are further described. Thanks to the tensioning systems 87, the supporting ropes 81, 82 are kept taut at an adequate value of traction force.

As an alternative to the counterweight system 87, the second end 84 of each supporting cable 81, 82 can be anchored to a fixing structure with a fixed preload. In fact, in an alternative embodiment each carrying rope 81, 82 is arranged with a fixed anchor for each end.

The plant 100 also comprises two pulling ropes 91, 92, each arranged parallel to a respective carrying rope 81, 82 and arranged in a closed loop between two respective pulleys, which in the example are a driving pulley 93 and a driven return pulley 94 The two closed rings constituted by the pulling ropes 91, 92 are separate and independent from each other.

For the sake of representation, in Figure 1, which represents a schematic and simplified plan view of the plant 100, the drive pulleys 93 and the transmission pulleys 94 are shown overturned on the plane of the figure, while in reality they extend orthogonally to the floor itself.

Each driving pulley 93 and transmission pulley 94 has a groove (not shown) with the function of a seat for receiving a portion of the respective pulling cable 91, 92 and is able to rotate around a respective rotation axis 931, 941.

A motor 96, for example an electric motor, causes the driving pulleys 93 to rotate around said axis 931, by means of a gearmotor 97 and a transmission shaft 98. The driving pulleys 93 rotate in harmony with each other, as shown by arrows 932. In particular, in the example the driving pulleys 93 are keyed on the same transmission shaft 98.

The driving pulleys 93 cooperate in friction with the pulling cables 91, 92 and therefore transmit the motion to the latter. In particular, in the example a lower portion 911, 921 of said closed loop moves in a direction concordant with a travel direction M of a cable car 1, while an upper portion 912, 922 moves in the opposite direction.

It should be noted that, in the context of the present disclosure, the terms "lower", "upper", "vertical", "horizontal" must be interpreted with reference to the vertical direction for an installed cableway installation.

In the example, the motor 96, the gearmotor 97, the transmission shaft 98, the driving pulleys 93, and the fixing structures 86 of the supporting ropes 81, 82 are arranged in a first cableway station, which is a driving station 9 located on the valley side of the plant 100.

Each return pulley 94, which can rotate around the respective rotation axis 941 and is rotated by the respective pulling cable 91, 92 with which it cooperates by friction, is constrained at its axis 941 to a tensioning system , for example with a counterweight 99, which exerts on the return pulley 94 a direct force to move it away from the respective driving pulley 93. Thanks to the tensioning systems 99, the pulling ropes 91, 92 are kept taut at an adequate value of traction force .

In other words, the return pulley 94 is a tensioning pulley, disposed in a displaceable manner in the direction of the respective pulling cable 91, 92 to keep the latter under tension.

The counterweight system 99, shown schematically in the figures, can be considered to be of the known art and therefore, being within the reach of the person skilled in the art, it is not further described. As an alternative to the counterweight system 99, the tensioning systems can comprise pistons with hydraulic control unit, or trapezoidal screws coupled to electric motors. This is possible in particular on systems with fixed anchoring of the supporting ropes 81, 82 and with pulling ropes 91, 92 suspended on line jumpers.

In the example, the deflection pulleys 94, the tensioning systems 99 of the hauling ropes 91, 92 and the tensioning systems 87 of the supporting cables 81, 82 are arranged in a second cableway station, which is a deflection station 90 on the side upstream of the plant 100.

The cableway installation 100 comprises at least one cableway vehicle 1, in turn comprising a cabin 2, a cableway trolley 4, and a suspension 3 for associating and suspending the cabin 2 to the trolley 4.

The booth 2, substantially of known art and therefore not described in detail, comprises a bottom wall 21, a top wall 22 and side walls 23, which define an internal volume of said booth 2. Said internal volume is able to accommodate passengers or goods to be transported. It should be noted that, in particular if the cabin 2 is used for the transport of goods, the top wall 22 may not be present, and therefore the cabin 2 may have a substantially open body shape. The plan width L of car 2 is smaller than the distance L1 between the supporting ropes 81, 82 and the distance L2 between the pulling ropes 91, 92.

The trolley 4 directly engages the carrying ropes 81, 82 and the pulling ropes 91, 92, cooperating with them. The suspension 3 has the purpose of suspending the cabin 2 to the trolley 4, and therefore to the supporting ropes 81, 82. The suspension 3 comprises an articulated structure to keep the cabin 2 at the same inclination with respect to the vertical during the journey, possibly with different slopes, between the first station 9 and the second station 90 of the cableway 100, and to dampen the transmission of oscillations between trolley 4 and cabin 2.

In the example, the suspension 3 comprises two vertical lateral uprights 31, each having a first end pivoted to a respective side of the carriage 4 so as to define a first axis of rotation 37, and a second end pivoted to a beam 32 on a second axis of rotation 38. The beam 32 extends between the two lateral uprights 31 and is arranged in proximity to a region in the center of the top wall 22, to which it is parallel, transversely to the direction of travel M.

Two beams 33 are fixed to the transverse beam 32, longitudinal with respect to the direction of travel M and interposed between the lateral uprights 31. The opposite ends 34, 35 of each longitudinal beam 33 are hinged to the top wall 22 of the cabin 2 by means of respective connecting rods 36.

The transverse distance L3 between the side uprights 31 is substantially equal to the width L of the cabin 2.

The trolley 4 comprises a frame comprising two main longitudinal beams 41, preferably with a hollow section. Each beam 41 is hinged, in a central region, with a respective vertical lateral upright 31 in correspondence with said rotation axis 37.

Furthermore, two primary rockers 42 are hinged to each main beam 41, substantially in proximity to opposite ends 411, 412, by means of pins 43 in correspondence with a respective rotation axis 425.

Each primary balance 42, pivoted to the main beam 41 in a mid-line region of the primary balance 42, is pivoted near each end 421, 422 to a secondary balance 44. Each secondary balance 44 is pivoted to the primary balance 42 in a mid-line region of the secondary rocker 44 and in correspondence with a respective rotation axis 445, and furthermore comprises two rollers 45 pivoted thereto in proximity to the extremity of the secondary rocker 44, in correspondence with respective rotation axes 455. The rollers 45 are in substance pulleys each having a groove 451 and free to rotate with respect to rotation axes 455 which are orthogonal to the direction of travel M. The rollers 45 rest on a respective carrying cable 81, 82, which is received in the grooves 451.

In the example, the primary rocker 42 comprises two side walls 423, 424 parallel to each other, between which the secondary rockers 44 are partially enclosed. Each secondary rocker 44 comprises two side walls 443, 444 parallel to each other, between which they are partially enclosed the rollers 45.

Basically, on two opposite sides of the carriage 4, next to the main beams 41, there are two groups of eight rollers 45 each; in each group the rollers 45 are aligned along a direction defined by the respective carrying cable 81, 82 and rotate with respect to axes 455 parallel to each other and orthogonal to the carrying cable 81, 82 itself. The distance between the group on one side and the group on the other side is equal to the center distance L1 between the supporting ropes 81, 82.

By means of the two groups of rollers 45, the trolley 4, and therefore the ropeway vehicle 1, is slidingly associated with the supporting ropes 81, 82.

The rollers 45 are arranged in pairs; each pair, thanks to the described system of beams 41 and rocker arms 42, 44 hinged together, is free to assume a different inclination and height compared to the other pairs, so as to adapt locally to the curvature of the respective supporting rope 81, 82 .

The rollers 45 are located externally to the longitudinal main beam 41, i.e. in a plan view the main beams 41 are interposed between the rollers 45 on the opposite sides of the carriage 4.

On each side of the trolley 4, in particular on each main beam 41, there are installed braking devices 46 which act on the respective supporting cable 81, 82. In particular, these braking devices 46 come into operation automatically in case of breaking of a hauling cable 91 , 92, or when the tension in a hauling rope 91, 92 is below a threshold value, or when the relative speed between ropeway vehicle 1 and carrying ropes 81, 82 is greater than a threshold speed, or when the oscillations of the cabin 2 are greater than a safety value. These braking devices 46, which are substantially of known art and therefore are not further described, are to be considered optional and therefore do not necessarily have to be present on the vehicle 1.

A first pulley 51 a is pivoted to a main beam 41 and a second pulley 51 b is pivoted to the other main beam 41. Furthermore, a respective auxiliary pulley 52a, 52b is pivoted to each main beam 41. In other words, a pair of pulleys 51 a and 52a, 51 b and 52b are hinged to each main beam 41, which are side by side and coplanar, being aligned along a direction defined by the respective hauling cable 91, 92.

The distance between the pulleys 51 a, 52a on one side and the pulleys 51 b, 52b on the other side is equal to the center distance L2 between the hauling ropes 91, 92.

In the following, in the cases in which it is not relevant which side of the carriage 4 is referred to, the pulley 51a or 51b will generally be indicated by the reference number 51, while the pulley 52a or 52b will generally be indicated by the reference number 52.

In the preferred embodiment, the pulleys 51, 52 are arranged vertically, that is, they are arranged orthogonal to a plane defined by the two supporting ropes 81, 82. For the sake of representation, in figure 1 and in subsequent figures 8, 9, 18, and 20, which represent schematic and simplified plan views of a cableway system, the pulleys 51, 52 are shown overturned on the plane of the figure, while in reality they extend orthogonally to the plane itself.

The pulleys 51, 52 can rotate with respect to respective axes 511, 521 parallel to each other and orthogonal to the pulling cable 91, 92. The two pulleys 51, 52, hinged to the main beam 41 by means of pins 515 and bearings, are substantially identical to each other and the distance A between axes 511 and 521 is greater than the sum of the radii R of pulleys 51, 52.

The pulleys 51, 52 have perimeter grooves 53 to accommodate a respective pulling cable 91, 92, in particular a portion of the lower portion 911, 921 thereof. As shown in Figure 4A, each lower portion 911, 921 comprises two free portions 913, 914 respectively upstream and downstream of the respective pulleys 51, 52 on the respective side of the carriage 4, between which free portions 913, 914 the lower portion 911, 921 completes a circular path around the pulleys 51, 52. In fact, in the example said ring subsequently comprises a first lower portion 915 which extends between the two pulleys 51, 52 and below them, a first semicircular portion 916 which is housed in the groove 53 of the auxiliary pulley 52, an upper portion 917 extending between the pulleys 51, 52 above them, a second semicircular portion 918 which is housed in the groove 53 of the first or second pulley 51, a second lower portion 919 which extends between the two pulleys 51, 52 and below them.

In one embodiment, the perimeter grooves 53 of the pulleys 51, 52 have a width such as to accommodate the two lower portions 915, 919 of pulling cable 91, 92 so that they are parallel to one another.

In an alternative embodiment, shown in Figure 4B, the pulleys 51, 52 are side by side, and in particular parallel, and are also arranged slightly offset from each other, so that the two lower portions 915, 919 do not interfere with each other and the upper portion 917 is arranged slightly askew with respect to the lower portions 915, 919.

When the hauling rope 91, 92 is in traction, the pulleys 51, 52 frictionally cooperate with the respective portion of the hauling rope 91, 92.

In contact with the upper portion 917 there is a device 925 for controlling the tension force of the pulling cable 91, 92. This control device 925 is substantially of known art and therefore is not further described. The control device 925 is operationally connected with an alarm system and with actuators which intervene by adjusting the tension of the pulling cables 91, 92 or by blocking the system 100 when the measured voltage value is outside a predetermined range, and in particular it is less than a threshold value. The control device 925 can also be operatively connected to the braking devices 46.

A braking system (not shown) can optionally be provided which, when in operation, acts on said first and second pulleys 51 a, 51 b, as well as on the auxiliary pulleys 52a, 52b, to block their rotation. Said braking system is operationally connected to control device 925. Under normal operating conditions, the braking system is deactivated. It comes into operation when the tension in a hauling rope 91, 92 detected by the control device 925 is less than a threshold value, for example because a hauling rope 91, 92 has broken. The braking system therefore blocks the rotation of the pulleys 51, 52 and thus prevents the intact hauling cable 91, 92 from sliding with respect to the carriage 4; consequently, in this condition the trolley 4 moves integral with the pulling cable 91, 92 which is not damaged.

A toothed wheel 54, 55 coaxial with it, which in the example is adjacent to the respective pulley 51, 52, is integral in rotation to each pulley 51, 52. In particular, the pulley - toothed wheel assembly is external to the main beam 41, and is interposed between the main beam 41 and the primary rocker 42. Furthermore, the toothed wheel 54, 55 is interposed between the main beam 41 and the pulley 51, 52.

The two toothed wheels 54, 55 are substantially identical to each other.

A pinion 61 is also hinged on each main beam 41, in the example a toothed pinion, having a rotation axis 611 parallel to the rotation axes 511 and 521 of the pulleys 51, 52. In particular, on each side of the carriage 4 the arrangement and the diameters of the toothed wheels 54, 55 and of the pinion 61 are such that the pinion 61 is aligned, i.e. coplanar, with the toothed wheels 54, 55 and is interposed between them, so that the toothing of the pinion 61 simultaneously engages the toothing of both toothed wheels 54, 55. In other words, the pinion 61 is interposed between the pulleys 51, 52 and is correlated in rotation with them; also the pulleys 51 and 52 are therefore correlated to each other in rotation, by means of the pinion 61.

In the example, the pinion 61 a on a first side of the carriage 4 near the pulleys 51 a, 52a is integral with a first shaft 62 which extends for a much shorter section La of the distance L2 between the pulling ropes 91 , 92, while the pinion 61 b on the other side of the carriage 4 near the pulleys 51 b, 52b is integral with a second shaft 63 which extends for a portion Lb which covers almost the entire width L of the cabin 2 and comes near the first flank. In particular, the shafts 62, 63 are mutually aligned with respect to a longitudinal rotation axis 65, which coincides with the rotation axes 611 of the pinions 61.

Said first shaft 62 and second shaft 63 are operationally connected to each other by means of a connection device 7, which is interposed between the respective pinions 61 and in particular is housed on one side of the frame of the carriage 4, near the main beam. 41 to which the pulleys 51a, 52a are hinged.

Therefore, the pinions 61 cooperate with the connecting device 7 thanks to the shafts 62, 63.

The connecting device 7 comprises a frame 71, which supports end portions of the shafts 62, 63. These end portions protrude into an internal region of the frame 71 passing through holes made in the frame 71 itself, in so that the shafts 62, 63 can rotate with respect to the frame 71; said holes are possibly provided with ball bearings.

Each end, in this internal region, is provided with a frusto-conical gear 72, 73 integral in rotation to the respective shaft 62, 63; the first frusto-conical gear 72 and the second frusto-conical gear 73 are identical to each other. Thanks to the pinions 61 and the toothed wheels 54, 55, the first gear 72 is correlated in rotation with, or rotated by, the first pulleys 51 a, 52a, and the second gear 73 is correlated in rotation with, or rotated by the second pulleys 51b, 52b.

A third frusto-conical gear 74 is arranged in the internal region, which is pivoted to the frame 71, and can rotate with respect to an axis of rotation 741 orthogonal to the axis 65 of the shafts 62, 63. Said third frusto-conical gear 74 simultaneously engages said first and second frusto-conical gears 72, 73. In other words, the first gear 72, the second gear 73 and the third gear 74 are pivoted to the frame 71 in such a way that the axis of rotation 65 of the first gear 72 coincides with the axis of rotation of the second gear 73, and is orthogonal to the axis of rotation 741 of the third gear 74. The arrangement of the parts is such as to substantially prevent translation movements of the shafts 62, 63 along the axis 65 with respect to frame 71. Therefore, when the connecting device 7 is mounted, the shafts 62, 63 cannot slide out of the frame 71 and the frusto-conical gears 72, 73, 74 cannot disengage between them.

Integral (or even integral) to the frame 71 is a disk 77 having a diameter such as to protrude radially with respect to the frame 71, said disk 77 being arranged substantially orthogonal to said axis 65 of the shafts 62, 63.

The frame 71 is adapted to perform an angular displacement or rotation with respect to an axis of rotation which coincides with the axis of rotation 65 of said first gear 72 and second gear 73.

A brake 78 is also disposed near the connecting device 7, which comprises a first jaw 781 and a second jaw 782 opposite the first jaw 781. In the example, the first jaw 781 is fixed, while the second jaw 782 It is movable and is pushed towards the first jaw 781 by a spring 783. The opposing working surfaces of the jaws 781, 782 are coated with a material with a high coefficient of friction.

Between the jaws 781 and 782 there is a portion of an annular sector of the disc 77. The spring 783 is calibrated so as to lock the disc 77, preventing the rotation of the frame 71 around the axis 65, when the torque acting on the disc 77, and therefore the shear stress on the jaws 781, 782 in contact with the disc 77 itself, is less than a threshold value, and to allow such rotation when the acting torque is greater than this threshold value.

In essence, the brake 78 is of the negative type, as in a normal operating condition it is in an active state and performs a braking function to prevent the angular displacement of the frame 71, while in an episodic non-operating condition it is in an inactive state. and allows angular displacement of the frame 71.

Let us now pass on to describe the operation of the 1-way cable car system 100.

A cable car 1 travels in reciprocating motion between a first station 9, or valley station, and a second station 90, or mountain station, moving along the carrying cables 81, 82 which extend between the stations 9, 90 themselves. The vehicle 1 is suspended from the supporting ropes 81, 82 by means of the trolley 4, in particular thanks to the rollers 45 which rest on the respective supporting ropes 81, 82. The carrying ropes 81, 82 are fixed, in other words they do not slide, and therefore, since it is not possible to slip between rollers 45 and ropes 81, 82 due to the force of mutual friction, the rollers 45 rotate around their respective axes 455 during the motion of the vehicle 1. The movement of the vehicle 1 is obtained thanks to the traction force exerted on the vehicle 1 by the hauling ropes 91, 92, which are set in motion by the motor 96 so that their lower portions 911, 921 associated with the trolley 4 move in a direction concordant with each other and with the desired direction M of travel of vehicle 1. When the vehicle 1, for example starting from the valley station 9, has reached the mountain station 90, the reverse path is carried out by reversing the direction of rotation 932 of the driving pulleys 93.

As said, a portion of each pulling cable 91, 92 follows a closed loop path around the respective pulleys 51, 52, cooperating in friction with them. In fact, the mutual friction between the ropes 91, 92 and the pulleys 51, 52 means that there can be no slippage between the grooves 53 of the pulleys 51, 52 and the portions 916, 918 of pulling ropes 91, 92 in they housed.

The traction exerted by each hauling cable 91, 92 therefore involves a moment of force acting on the respective pulleys 51, 52, which is concordant for the pulleys 51 a, 52a or 51 b, 52b arranged on the same side of the frame of the trolley 4. Thanks to the engagement of the toothed wheels 54, 55, integral in rotation to the respective pulleys 51, 52, with the pinion 61, the moment of force is transmitted through the shafts 62, 63 to the respective conical gears 72, 73 of the connection device 7.

It is immediate to understand that if the pulleys 51 a, 52a of one side are subjected to a moment of force in agreement with that acting on the pulleys 51 b, 52b of the other side, also the frusto-conical gears 72, 73 are subjected to concordant moments of force. and therefore they exert opposing moments of force on the third frusto-conical gear 74.

If the components (i.e. the pulleys 51, 52, the respective toothed wheels 54, 55, the respective pinion 61, and the respective frusto-conical gear 72, 73) on one side are identical to the corresponding components on the other side, and if the pulling ropes 91, 92 are dragged with the same speed, the moments of force exerted by the frusto-conical gears 72, 73 on the third gear 74 are equal and opposite, preventing the rotation of the third gear 74 around its axis 741.

In the operating condition of operation, the brake 78 blocks the disc 77 and therefore prevents the rotation of the frame 71 around the axis 65. Therefore, the third gear 74 remains locked, as it cannot rotate around its axis 741 or revolution around at axis 65; therefore it prevents the rotation of the shafts 62, 63 and of the pulleys 51, 52. The pulleys 51, 52 cannot rotate around their axis 511, 521 and neither can they move with respect to the pulling ropes 91, 92, with the result that the the entire vehicle 1 is set in motion in the direction M with the same speed as the hauling ropes 91, 92, as shown in Figure 1.

If, on the other hand, the speeds of the hauling ropes 91, 92 are different (Figures 8 and 9), an imbalance occurs in the moments of force acting on the third frusto-conical gear 74, which therefore can rotate around its axis 741.

In this case, in order to avoid the rotation of the vehicle 1 in the plane of the ropes and the tearing of the hauling ropes 91, 92, a relative movement of the hauling ropes 91, 92 with respect to the vehicle 1 itself must be allowed. This is achieved thanks to the fact that the pulleys 51a, 52a on one side can rotate in the opposite direction with respect to the pulleys 51b, 52b on the other side.

Called V1 the speed of the hauling cable 91 in direction M, called V2 the speed of the hauling cable 92 in direction M, called Vv the speed of vehicle 1 in direction M which ensures speed compensation, called R the radius of pulleys 51, 52 in correspondence of the grooves 53, dictates n1 the angular speed of the pulleys 51 a, 52a on one side (in number of radians in the unit of time), dictates n2 the angular speed of the pulleys 51 b, 52b on the other side (in number of radians in the unit of time), we have that the difference in speed between the ropes 91, 92 and the vehicle 1 can be compensated by the tangential speed of the respective pulleys 51, 52, that is:

Vv-V1 = n1 <*> R,

Vv-V2 = n2 <*> R.

If said components are identical on the two sides, and if the rotation of the frame 71 is prevented by the activated brake 78, the rotation of the first shaft 62 involves the rotation of the third frusto-conical gear 74 and the rotation of the second shaft 63 in the opposite direction to the first shaft 62 and with the same number of revolutions in the unit of time. That is, n1 = -n2. From the above it can be easily deduced that:

Vv = (V1 V2) / 2,

n1 = -n2 = (V2-V1) / (2 <*> R).

In other words, in the conditions described above the vehicle 1 moves at a speed Vv equal to the average of the speeds V1, V2 of the hauling ropes 91, 92, and the pulleys 51a, 52a on one side rotate in the opposite direction with respect to the pulleys 51 b, 52b on the opposite side.

Then, a moment of excess force acting on one side (due for example to the faster hauling cable 91) is transmitted to the opposite side to rotate the respective pulleys 51, 52 and compensate for the difference in speed.

This is achieved by means of the connecting device 7, which correlates an angular displacement of the first pulleys 51a, 52a on one side with an angular displacement of the second pulleys 51b, 52b on the other side, so that the angular velocity n1 of the first pulleys 51 a, 52a is proportional to the angular speed n2 of the second pulleys 51 b, 52b according to a constant of proportionality K. In the case of the above example, the proportionality constant K is equal to -1, and the speed angular n1 of the first pulleys 51a, 52a and the angular velocity n2 of the second pulleys 51b, 52b are equal in value and opposite in direction.

In the event that said components on one side have different dimensions (in particular, different radius) from those on the opposite side, n1 will possibly be different from n2, according to a proportionality ratio K between n1 and n2 in particular determined by the geometric characteristics of the device connection 7 and the dimensions of the gears 72, 73, 74; the speed Vv of vehicle 1 will in any case be such as to obtain compensation for the difference in speed between the hauling ropes 91, 92. If R1 is the radius of the pulleys 51 a, 52a on one side and R2 is the radius of the pulleys 51 b , 52b on the other side, we obtain in fact:

Vv = (n1 <*> R1 + n2 <*> R2 + V1 + V2) / 2;

n1 = K <*> n2.

If the moment of force exerted overall by the hauling ropes 91, 92 on the frame 71 exceeds a threshold value, as is the case, for example, in which the vehicle 1 cannot continue in motion because it is stranded in an obstacle or in a tree or in a pylon, the shoes 781 and 782 of the brake 78 release the disc 77 and thus allow the rotation of the frame 71 around the axis 65 together with the shafts 62, 63.

In this condition with brake 78 deactivated, the pulleys 51a, 52a on one side are free to rotate with respect to the pulleys 51b, 52b on the other side, since the simultaneous rotation of the frame 71 and of the third frusto-conical gear 74 allows to uncouple the rotation speed of the pulleys on one side from the rotation speed of the pulleys on the other side. Hence, an angular displacement of the first pulleys 51a, 52a is not correlated with an angular displacement of the second pulleys 51b, 52b. In other words, the linking device is in an inoperative condition.

Therefore, still in this non-operative condition, the pulling ropes 91, 92 rotate the pulleys 51 a, 52a, 51 b, 52b without this entailing a traction force on the vehicle 1. In this way the pulling ropes 91, 92 they are free to slide with respect to the vehicle 1 and it is avoided that, in the event that the vehicle 1 remains blocked in its path, a high tension is established in the pulling ropes 91, 92 such as to cause them to break.

When the moment of force returns below said threshold value, the brake 78 returns to its active state and blocks the disc 77, thus re-establishing traction on vehicle 1. If vehicle 1 is still blocked, the brake 78 alternates between an active locking condition and a deactivated unlocking condition: a high degree of safety is thus achieved, since the maximum tension in the hauling ropes 91, 92 is limited, avoiding damage, and at the same time substantially maintained I stop the vehicle 1 preventing it from moving in an uncontrolled way along the carrying ropes 81, 82 due to the force of gravity. A second embodiment of a cable car trolley according to the present disclosure is shown in Figures 10 to 12 and is indicated with the reference number 140. Elements having the same function and structure retain the same reference number as the embodiment previously described, and therefore are not again described in detail.

A single pulley 51 a, 51 b is hinged to the main beam 41 on each side of the frame of the trolley 140, around which a portion of the respective hauling cable 91, 92 is wound making a complete turn. A toothed wheel 54 is integral in rotation to each pulley 51, which in the example is adjacent to the pulley 51 itself and has the same rotation axis 511. In particular, the pulley - toothed wheel assembly is external to the main beam 41 , and is interposed between the main beam 41 and a primary rocker 42. Furthermore, the toothed wheel 54 is interposed between the main beam 41 and the pulley 51.

On each main beam 41 there is also hinged a toothed pinion 61 a, 61 b, having an axis of rotation 611 parallel to the axis of rotation 511 of the pulley 51 a, 51 b, so that the toothing of the pinion 61a, 61 b engages the toothing of the respective toothed wheel 54.

The other elements and the operating modes of the trolley 140 are substantially similar to what has already been described for the first embodiment.

A third embodiment of a ropeway trolley according to the present disclosure is shown in Figures 13 to 15 and is indicated with the reference number 240. Elements having the same function and structure retain the same reference number as the embodiment previously described, and therefore are not again described in detail.

On each side of the frame, a pulley 51 a, 51 b is hinged to the main beam 41, around which a portion of the respective hauling cable 91, 92 is wound making a complete turn. The pulley 51 a is integral in rotation with a shaft 62, while the pulley 51 b is integral in rotation with a shaft 63. Similarly to what has already been described, each shaft 62, 63 has a first end associated with the respective pulley 51 a , 51b and a second end integral in rotation with a respective frusto-conical gear 72, 73, which cooperates with said connection device 7.

Basically, in the carriage 240 there are neither the toothed wheels 54, 55 nor the pinion 61, and the rotation axis 511 of the pulleys 51 a, 51 b coincides with the rotation axis 65 of the shafts 62, 63 and conical gears 72, 73.

The other elements and the operating modes of the trolley 240 are substantially similar to what has already been described for the first embodiment.

Figures 16 and 17 show an alternative embodiment of a connection device, indicated with the reference number 170. Elements having the same function and structure retain the same reference number as the previously described embodiment, and therefore are not again described in detail.

The connection device 170 is interposed between the pinions 61 a, 61 b and, in the example, is mounted on a side of the carriage near the main beam 41.

The connection device 170 comprises a frame 171, which acts as a support for end portions of the shafts 62, 63. The shafts 62, 63 are hinged on the frame 171, for example by means of ball bearings, and have respective axes of rotation 165, 166 which are parallel to each other but not coincident. Therefore, the pinions 61 a, 61 b on the sides of the carriage frame are also not aligned with each other. For example, on one side the pinion 61 a is placed on one side (for example above) of a plane containing the rotation axes 511, 521 of the respective pulleys 51, 52, while on the opposite side the pinion 61 b is placed on the other side (for example below) of that floor.

An end of the first shaft 62 in the connecting device 170 is integral in rotation with a first gear 172, while an end of the second shaft 63 in the connecting device 170 is associated with a second gear 173, which engages the first gear 172.

The second shaft 63 is associated with the second gear 173 by means of a transmission device interposed between them, which in particular comprises a torque limiter 174 calibrated on a threshold value.

In the example, the second gear 173 is positioned idle on the second shaft 63 and is housed between an annular abutment 180 fixed to the second shaft 63 and a disk 181 integral in rotation with the second shaft 63 but sliding along the axis 166. The disc 181 is pushed against the second gear 173 by a helical spring 182 engaged on the second shaft 63, which also abuts with an end stop 183 on the shaft 63 itself.

In an active state, the frictional force between the surface of the disc 181 and the second gear 173 allows the transmission of a moment of force between the second gear 173 and the second shaft 63, which therefore are integral in rotation. When the moment of force is greater than said threshold value, which can be calibrated by acting on the spring 182 with a suitable adjustment system, the disc 181 and the second gear 173 slide relative to each other and therefore in this deactivated state the second gear 173 It is no longer integral in rotation with the second shaft 63. The connection device 170 is essentially a reverse rotation gearbox with torque limiter. In addition to the one described, other embodiments of a torque limiter can also be used.

In operating condition, when the transmission device is active and the value of the transmitted moment of force (or torque) is less than the threshold value, the first gear 172 is correlated in rotation with the first pulleys 51a, 52a and the second gear 173 is correlated in rotation with the second pulleys 51b, 52b.

When the torque value to be transmitted is greater than the threshold value, the torque limiter 174 comes into operation, putting the transmission device in the deactivated state and making the rotation of the second shaft 63 independent of the rotation of the second gear 173. In this in non-operative condition the first pulleys 51a, 52a are no longer correlated with the second pulleys 51b, 52b. When the torque returns below the threshold value, the limiter 174 again couples the second shaft 63 to the second gear 173.

Other aspects of the operation of the connection device 170 are similar to what has already been described for the connection device 7 and are briefly explained below.

When the hauling ropes 91, 92 have the same speed, the shafts 62, 63 are subject to concordant moments of force but, due to the engagement of the first gear 172 with the second gear 173, their rotation is prevented and therefore the traction force is transferred to vehicle 1, which therefore travels with the speed of hauling ropes 91, 92.

When the speeds of the hauling ropes 91, 92 are different, the shafts 62, 63 rotate in opposite directions and in a synchronized or correlated way, thanks to the gears 172, 173, with angular speeds such as to compensate for the speed difference of the hauling ropes. In this operating condition, the operation of the connecting device 170 is similar to the connecting device 7 in the operating condition.

When the moment of force exerted by the hauling ropes 91, 92 on the pulleys 51, 52 is greater than a threshold value, for example because the vehicle 1 is blocked against an obstacle, the torque limiter 174 comes into operation and allows the shafts 62, 63 (and therefore the respective pulleys 51, 52 on the two sides) to rotate in a decoupled and uncorrelated manner with each other. In this inoperative condition, the operation of the connecting device 170 is similar to the connecting device 7 in the inoperative condition

Another embodiment of a one-way cable car is shown in figure 18, and is indicated with the reference number 101. Elements having the same function and structure retain the same reference number as the previously described embodiment , and therefore are not described again in detail.

A driving station 109 comprises a motor 96, for example an electric motor, a gear motor 97, a transmission shaft 98, driving pulleys 193 integral in rotation to a transmission shaft 98, and first driven pulleys 196. The first driven pulleys 196 are constrained at their axis of rotation to a tensioning system, for example a counterweight 99, which exerts on the first driven pulleys 196 a direct force to move them away from the respective driving pulleys 193.

In a return station 190, second driven return pulleys 194 are constrained at their axis of rotation to a fixing structure 86.

Each hauling cable 91, 92 is arranged in a closed loop between the driving pulleys 193 and the driven pulleys 194, 196, and in particular has a first sub-ring 991 which extends between the driving pulley 193 and the first driven pulley 196, and a second sub-ring 992 which extends between the first driven pulley 196 and the second driven return pulley 194.

For the sake of representation, in figure 18, which represents a schematic and simplified plan view of the plant 101, the driving pulleys 193 and the driven pulleys 194, 196 are shown overturned on the plane of the figure, while in reality they extend orthogonally on the same floor.

An embodiment of a two-way cableway system is shown in Figure 20 and is indicated with the reference number 201. Elements having the same function and structure retain the same reference number as the previously described embodiment, and therefore they are not again described in detail.

A driving station 209 comprises a motor-gearmotor unit (not shown), a driving pulley 293 and two first driven pulleys 295; a return station 290 comprises two second driven return pulleys 294 and two third driven return pulleys 296.

Unlike the previously described embodiments, in which the axes of rotation of the driving and driven pulleys are parallel to the plane of motion of the vehicle 1, in the system 201 the axes of rotation of the driving pulleys 293 and driven pulleys 294, 295, 296 are orthogonal to said plane of motion and therefore the pulleys themselves lie parallel to the plane of motion, as shown in figure 20.

The second driven return pulleys 294 and the third driven return pulleys 296 are constrained at their axis of rotation to a tensioning system, for example a counterweight 99.

The driving pulley 293 is of the type with two parallel grooves 301, 302 and is therefore suitable for simultaneously winding two separate pulling ropes 291, 292.

A first hauling cable 291 is arranged in a closed loop between the driving pulley 293, the first driven pulleys 295 and the third driven return pulleys 296; the first hauling cable 291 in other words describes an outer ring that encloses the plant 201. A second hauling cable 292 is arranged in a closed loop between the driving pulley 293 and the second driven return pulleys 296; in other words, the second hauling rope 292 describes an inner closed loop which is enclosed by the first hauling rope 291.

Two sections remain thus defined in which the hauling ropes 291, 292 are parallel to each other between the drive station 209 and the return station 290: these sections therefore define two runways 297, 298, in each of which the first hauling rope 291 and the second hauling cable 292 are parallel to each other and with the same direction of movement. In each runway 297, 298 there is at least one ropeway vehicle 111, 112.

In particular, from figure 20 it can be seen that the ropeway vehicle 111 in the first runway 297 has a direction of movement M1 which is opposite to the direction of movement M2 of the ropeway vehicle 112 in the second runway 298.

The object of the present disclosure has hitherto been described with reference to preferred embodiments. It is to be understood that other embodiments may exist which pertain to the same inventive nucleus, all falling within the scope of the protection of the claims annexed hereafter.

Claims (19)

CLAIMS 1. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) of the type adapted to be moved by two pulling ropes (91, 92), in which said cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) comprises a frame (41), a first pulley ( 51a, 52a) pivoted to said frame (41) and able to cooperate by friction with a portion (911, 916, 918) of a first hauling cable (91), and a second pulley (51b, 52b) pivoted to said frame (41) and able to cooperate by friction with a portion (912, 916, 918) of a second pulling cable (92), further comprising a connection device (7, 170) interposed between said first pulley (51a, 52a ) and said second pulley (51b, 52b), wherein said connecting device (7, 170), in an operating condition and in the event of a difference in speed between said first hauling cable (91) and said second hauling cable (92 ), Is adapted to correlate an angular displacement of said first pulley (51a, 52a) with an angular displacement of said second pulley (51b, 52b), so that an angular speed (n1) of said first pulley (51a, 52a) is proportional to an angular speed (n2) of said second pulley (51b, 52b) according to a constant of proportionality. 2. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) of the type adapted to be moved by two hauling ropes (91, 92), in which said cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) comprises a frame (41), a first pulley ( 51a, 52a) pivoted to said frame (41) and able to cooperate by friction with a portion (911, 916, 918) of a first hauling cable (91), and a second pulley (51b, 52b) pivoted to said frame (41) and able to cooperate by friction with a portion (912, 916, 918) of a second pulling cable (92), further comprising a connection device (7, 170) interposed between said first pulley (51a, 52a ) and said second pulley (51b, 52b), in which, in an operating condition, said connecting device (7, 170) is able to place said first pulley (51a, 52a) and said second pulley (51b , 52b) in a mutual static equilibrium in case of equal traction forces acting on said first pulley (51a, 52a) and on said second pulley (51b, 52b), and said connection device ento (7, 170) is able to place said first pulley (51 a, 52a) and said second pulley (51 b, 52b) in a mutual dynamic equilibrium in case of different traction forces acting on said first pulley (51 a , 52a) and on said second pulley (51b, 52b). 3. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said connecting device (7, 170) is able to assume an inoperative condition in which an angular displacement of said first pulley (51a , 52a) is not correlated with an angular displacement of said second pulley (51b, 52b). 4. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to claim 1 or according to claim 3 when dependent on claim 1, wherein said proportionality constant is such that said angular velocity (n1) of said first pulley (51 a, 52a) and said angular velocity (n2) of said second pulley (51b, 52b) are equal in value and opposite in direction. 5. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said connecting device (7) comprises a first gear (72) correlated in rotation with said first pulley (51a, 52a) , a second gear (73) correlated in rotation with said second pulley (51b, 52b), and a third gear (74) which engages said first gear (72) and said second gear (73). 6. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to claim 5, wherein the axis of rotation (741) of said third gear (74) is perpendicular to the respective axis of rotation (65) of said first gear (72 ) and said second gear (73). 7. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to claim 6, wherein said connecting device (7) comprises a frame (71), said first gear (72), second gear (73) and third gear (74) ) being pivoted to said frame (71) in such a way that the axis of rotation (65) of said first gear (72) coincides with the axis of rotation (65) of said second gear (73), said frame (71 ) being able to perform an angular displacement with respect to an axis coincident with the rotation axis (65) of said first gear (72) and second gear (73). 8. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to claim 7, when dependent at least on claim 3, further comprising a brake (78), said brake (78) being in an active state in said operating condition to prevent said angular displacement of said frame (71), and said brake (78) being in the deactivated state in said non-operative condition to allow said angular displacement of said frame (71). 9. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to claim 8, in which said brake (78) is able to be put in the deactivated state when a moment of force acting on said frame (71) is greater than a value of threshold, and said brake (78) is able to put itself in an active state when said moment of force is less than said threshold value. 10. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said connecting device (170) comprises a first gear (172) correlated in rotation with said first pulley (51a, 52a) and a second gear (173) correlated in rotation with said second pulley (51b, 52b), said first gear (172) and second gear (173) being engaged with each other. 11. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to claim 10 when dependent at least on claim 3, comprising a transmission device interposed between said second gear (173) and said second pulley (51b, 52b), said transmission device comprising a torque limiter (174) adapted to transmit between said second gear (173) and said second pulley (51b, 52b) a moment of force less than a threshold value, in which said transmission device is able to position itself in an active state in said operating condition when said moment of force is less than said threshold value, and said transmission device is able to be deactivated in said non-operative condition when said moment of force is greater than said value threshold. 12. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said first pulley (51 a, 52a) and second pulley (51 b, 52b) is rotationally correlated with a respective pinion ( 61 a, 61 b) pivoted to said frame (41), which pinion (61 a, 61 b) cooperates with said connection device (7, 170). 13. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which each of said first pulley (51 a) and second pulley (51 b) is flanked by a respective auxiliary pulley (52a, 52b) pivoted to said frame (41), said auxiliary pulley (52a, 52b) being able to cooperate by friction with a portion of the respective pulling cable (91, 92) and being correlated in rotation with the respective first pulley (51 a) or second pulley (51 b). 14. Cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to claims 12 and 13, wherein said auxiliary pulley (52a, 52b) is correlated in rotation with said respective pinion (61 a, 61 b), said pinion (61 a , 61 b) being interposed between the respective first pulley (51 a) or second pulley (51 b) and said auxiliary pulley (52a, 52b). 15. Cable car vehicle (1, 111, 112) comprising a cable car trolley (4, 140, 240) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 14, and a cabin (2) associated with said cable car trolley (4, 140, 240 ). 16. Cableway system (100, 101, 201) comprising two hauling ropes (91, 92; 291, 292) each extending between a first station (9, 109, 209) and a second station (90, 190, 290), and at least one cableway vehicle (1, 111, 112) according to claim 15, wherein said cableway vehicle (1, 111, 112) is associated with said two hauling ropes (91, 92; 291, 292) by means of said first pulley ( 51a, 52a) and second pulley (51b, 52b), respectively. 17. Cable car installation (100, 101, 201) according to claim 16, wherein a portion of each haul rope (91, 92; 291, 292) is arranged in a ring around the respective first pulley (51a, 52a) or second pulley (51b, 52b). 18. Cableway installation (100, 101, 201) according to claim 16, when dependent on claim 13 or 14, in which a portion (911, 921) of each hauling cable (91, 92; 291, 292) is arranged to ring between the respective first pulley (51 a) or second pulley (51 b) and the respective auxiliary pulley (52a, 52b). 19. Cable car system (201) according to claim 16, 17 or 18, wherein each hauling cable (291, 292) is arranged in a closed loop between a driving pulley (293) in the first station (209) and a driven pulley return (294, 296) in the second station (290), and a closed loop of a first hauling rope (291) encloses a closed loop of a second hauling rope (292) so as to define two runways (297, 298) , each runway (297, 298) comprising a section in which the first hauling rope (291) and the second hauling rope (292) are parallel to each other and with the same direction of movement, the direction of movement (M1) in a first runway (297) being opposite to the direction of movement (M2) in a second runway (298), each runway (297, 298) further comprising at least one cableway vehicle (1, 111, 112) according to claim 15 associated with said first hauling rope (291) and second hauling rope (292).