JP2009137567A - Transportation device for cableway system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transportation device for a cableway system capable of immediately separating a wall part or a covering hood by immediately detecting defect relating to manufacturing of the wall part or the covering hood. <P>SOLUTION: The transportation device is particularly a chair with the covering hood or a gondola for the cableway system. The system has a supporting and conveying cable which is guided, in the stations, over deflection pulleys, of which at least one is driven. The transportation device may be firmly clamped to the supporting and conveying cable or it can be coupled thereto and, in the stations, can be uncoupled therefrom and moved along guide rails, through the boarding and disenbarking regions, at a speed which is substantially reduced in relation to the speed of the supporting and conveying cable, and passengers board the transportation device or disembark therefrom in the process. A transparent wall part is formed on the gondola, or a transparent covering hood pivotally movably mounted is formed on the chair. The transparent wall part or the transparent covering hood is made of a plastic material, in particular polycarbonate, containing a dye. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device. In particular, the present invention relates to a chair or gondola formed with a hood cover for a ropeway system having a support and transport cable guided at a station by a deflection pulley, at least one of which is a driven pulley. The transport device is fixedly secured to the support and transport cable or can be coupled to the support and transport cable and can be disconnected at the station, at a speed considerably lower than the speed of the support and transport cable. Along the boarding area. In this process, passengers can get on and off the transport device. The gondola is formed with a transparent wall part, or the chair is formed with a transparent hood cover pivotally attached.

(Cross-reference of related applications)
This application claims priority from Austrian Patent Application No. A1964 / 2007, filed December 3, 2007, based on Chapter 35, Section 119 of the US Law. The entirety of this prior application is incorporated herein by reference.

  Conventional gondola is mainly formed using wall parts made of transparent plastic material. Similarly, the hood cover for the chair of the ropeway system is manufactured from a transparent plastic material. The advantage of forming a gondola with so many transparent wall parts, or forming a transparent chair hood cover, is the use of a gondola or chair that allows the user to view the scenery without any restrictions. A certain level of convenience for the

  Gondola transparent wall parts or hood covers made of plastic material, eg polycarbonate, are manufactured by panels of plastic material pressed in a heated mold to achieve the desired three-dimensional shape.

  The gondola wall parts and chair hood covers should have a substantially constant wall thickness of about 3 mm to 5 mm to ensure the required strength. The manufacture of these wall parts and hood covers has the problem that areas with insufficient wall thickness may be formed due to the resistance caused by the difference in the three-dimensional shape during deformation of the plastic material. This is especially true for corner areas. If these defects are not detected, the product is further processed. That is, when they are used in gondolas and chairs, insufficient strength results in damage, particularly breakage, during a short period of operation. When this happens, the associated wall part or hood cover must be replaced by a new wall part or new hood cover.

  The object of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of previously known devices and this general type of method. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transport device for a ropeway system that allows immediate detection of wall-related or hood cover manufacturing-related defects, so that these wall parts or hood covers can be readily separated. It is to be.

  In light of the foregoing and other objectives, the present invention provides a transport device for a ropeway system having a support and carrier cable that extends between stations and is guided around a deflection pulley. At least one of the pulleys is a driven pulley. The transport device is securely fixed to the support and transport cables. Alternatively, the transport device is configured to be coupled to the support and transport cable or to be disconnected at the station and move along a guide rail that extends through the boarding area at a speed well below the speed of the support and transport cable. One or more passengers can get on or off the transport device at the station. The transport device is formed with one or more transparent wall parts or is provided with a transparent cover hood pivotally attached. The improvement according to the invention consists in producing one or more transparent wall parts or transparent hood covers from a plastic material containing at least one dye.

  In other words, the object of the present invention is achieved by making the wall part or the hood cover from a plastic material containing at least one dye.

  Due to the dye contained in the plastic material, areas with large wall thickness are more clearly colored, while areas with small wall thickness are less colored. This will immediately detect whether the related product meets the technical requirements for the required wall thickness or whether the related product is inappropriate for further processing and needs to be separated. It becomes possible.

  The plastic material containing at least one dye has the effect that the wall part or the hood cover is heated more significantly than in the case of a plastic material which is not dyed, because the infrared radiation particles accumulate in the dye particles. Also achieve. This causes the gondola wall part or chair cover hood to freeze less and the surface dries more quickly. In addition, transparent wall parts or hood covers colored as a result of dyeing provide anti-glare protection for passengers in strong sunlight.

  According to a further feature of the present invention, the wall part or hood cover is manufactured from a panel made of a plastic material containing at least one dye, by a pressing operation performed in a heated mold.

  This application includes subject matter that overlaps applicant's co-pending patent application (Austrian Attorney Docket No. WRA-36066), such as information regarding molding and inspection processes.

  Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

  The present invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a transportation device for a ropeway system, but nevertheless is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention and within the scope of equivalents of the claims.

  However, the structure and method of operation of the present invention will be best understood with the further objects and advantages thereof from the following description of individual embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

  Referring to the drawings in detail, the chair of the ropeway system illustrated as an embodiment of the present invention comprises a holding frame 1 having a seat surface 2 for many passengers. In order to protect the passengers from, for example, bad weather, a hood cover 3, also called a bubble, is attached to the holding frame 1. The hood 3 is pivotally mounted about the shaft 31. The passenger can sit in the open position of the hood cover 3 (the position shown in FIG. 1) and can get off the chair. When the passenger moves with the ropeway system, the hood cover 3 pivots to the closed position (position shown in FIG. 2) when protection against wind, snowfall or other weather events is required.

  The hood cover 3 is made in whole or in large part from a plastic material, in particular polycarbonate, to which at least one dye is added. By adding a dye, it can be detected after manufacture of the hood cover whether the hood cover has a wall thickness of about 3-5 mm required for the desired strength. This is because the shade of the region with a small wall thickness is brighter than the region with a large wall thickness.

  If it is found that a hood cover has more than one region with insufficient wall thickness and thus does not guarantee the required strength, the hood cover is separated. This eliminates manufacturing-related damage, particularly breakage, to the maximum possible extent and avoids otherwise required replacement operations, resulting in substantial cost savings.

  By manufacturing the hood cover from a plastic material containing the dye, the hood cover will warm up faster and be deiced faster. In addition, such a hood cover provides some shade and anti-glare to the chair user.

  It will be readily appreciated that such a hood cover can be used for both a chair rigidly fixed on a ropeway system support and transport cable and a chair that can be coupled to a holding and transport cable.

  The same advantages as outlined apply to the ropeway system gondola formed of transparent wall parts.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lift chair of a ropeway system with a hood cover illustrated in an open position. 2 is a similar perspective view of the chair according to FIG. 1 with the hood cover in the closed position; FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Holding frame 2 Seat surface 3 Hood cover 31 Axis

Claims (5)

In a transport device for a ropeway system having support and transport cables extending between stations and guided around a deflection pulley,
At least one of the pulleys is a driven pulley, and the transport device is fixedly secured to the support and transport cable, or is connectable to the support and transport cable and is separable at the station; Travels along the guide rail at a much lower speed than the speed of the transport cable through the boarding area, where one or more passengers can get on and off the transport device at the station,
The transport device is provided with one or more transparent wall parts or provided with a transparent cover hood pivotally mounted, the one or more transparent wall parts or the transparent wall hood. A transport device in which the hood cover is made from a plastic material containing at least one dye.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material is polycarbonate.   It is configured as a lift chair having a frame and a seat surface supported on the frame, and the hood cover is a transparent bubble supported on the frame so as to be pivotable between an open position and a closed position. The transport apparatus according to claim 1.   2. A transport device according to claim 1 configured as a gondola formed with a cabin having a plurality of walls made of a plastic material containing said dye.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wall part or the hood cover is a thermoformed panel of a plastic material containing the at least one dye pressed by a press operation in a heated mold.

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