JP7488538B2 - Cableway station with safety barrier - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a cableway station for at least one cableway, in which at least one openable safety barrier is provided and a sensor for detecting an open state of the at least one safety barrier is provided in the cableway station, said sensor generating a sensor signal depending on the open state and transmitting the sensor signal to a control unit of a cableway drive, which control unit controls the cableway drive depending on the acquired sensor signal. Furthermore, the invention relates to a safety system for a cableway station with an openable safety barrier and to a method for operating at least one cableway with at least one cableway station in which an openable safety barrier is arranged.

Cableways are used to transport people and goods between two or more cableway stations. For this purpose, a number of cable cars, such as chairs or gondolas, are moved between the cableway stations, either circularly or in a shuttle manner. The cable cars are moved between the cableway stations by means of at least one traction cable. The cable cars can be suspended from at least one support cable (in the case of an aerial cableway) or placed on rails or on the ground (cable railway) in a manner that allows the movement and can be moved by means of at least one traction cable. However, the cable cars can also be releasably clamped or fixed to the traction cable and moved by means of the traction cable. In the case of circular cable cars, the cable cars are often decoupled from the traction cable at the cableway station, for example by means of a releasable cable clamp, and moved through the cableway station at a lower speed to facilitate the boarding or disembarking of people or the loading or unloading of goods.

In a cableway station there are usually different areas with different access restrictions. For example, there may be areas, e.g. entrance/exit areas, where access is permitted both for cableway operating personnel and for passengers. Often there are also areas where access is permitted only for operating personnel and not permitted or not desirable for passengers. These may for example be areas outside the entrance/exit areas, where there is no direct risk of injury, but where access is prohibited for non-operators, e.g. for operational reasons. Furthermore, in a cableway station there may be areas where access is prohibited for all persons, i.e. both for those involved in the operation, such as operating personnel, and also for non-operators, such as passengers, for safety reasons. Such danger areas include in particular the area around the drive, where moving parts are located, and/or areas where electric currents flow.

Entering such danger areas can result in serious injuries, and for that reason they are generally separated by a safety barrier. To date, such a safety barrier is mostly used, which, when opened, activates an emergency stop of the cableway drive. For known cableways, the safety regulations typically state that there must always be one on-site operator during the operation of the cableway, who monitors its operation and controls the cableway. Depending on the type and size of the system, the operating personnel may include one or more people who are present to ensure smooth operation. The operating personnel generally controls the cableway from an operating room, which also provides a good visual overview of the areas being monitored, especially the entrance/exit areas and the danger areas. In addition, the operating personnel also generally assists passengers to get on and off the cable car, for example the chairs of a chairlift or the gondolas of a gondola lift.

Previously, if the safety barrier was activated, for example due to a passenger inadvertently or deliberately entering a restricted area, an emergency stop of the cableway would be automatically activated and an alarm would be activated at the same time. For example, activation can be performed by means of a mechanical contact switch which is triggered if the safety barrier is opened. This contact switch interrupts, for example, the energy supply of the cableway drive, which is immediately stopped. Operating personnel already present at the cableway station typically check the area around the safety barrier to determine under what circumstances and by whom the safety barrier was opened. After the check is completed and it has been established that no one is in the restricted area any more, the operation of the cableway can be continued. For this purpose, the safety barrier would have been manually reset by the operating personnel to the closed position. As a result, the electrical contact would have been restored by the contact switch. Restarting the cableway is generally also performed manually, for example via a controller in the control room of the cableway station.

Due to technological developments in the field of automation technologies, the trend in the field of transport in recent years is towards automated operation. For example, driverless subway systems are already in operation in some cities and fully automated systems are frequently used in internal transport processes. In such systems, the control of the transport process is carried out fully automatically and personnel are essentially only required to monitor the smooth operation and possibly for emergency situations. Thus, in the field of cableways, which was previously very personnel-intensive, the trend is towards the maximum possible automation of operations and/or with fewer operating personnel, gradually striving towards this goal.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to go beyond the prior art and simplify the operation of the cableway while at the same time ensuring safe operation.

According to the invention, the object is achieved in that the control unit is configured to stop the cableway drive or reduce the drive speed of the cableway drive when a sensor signal corresponding to an open position of the safety barrier is received, the safety barrier having a remotely operable activation unit which can be controlled with the remote control unit to reset the safety barrier from the open position, in which the cableway drive is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, to a closed position, in which the cableway drive can be reactivated or the drive speed can be increased again. As a result, it is no longer necessary for the operating personnel to manually reset the safety barrier to the closed position. Instead, this can now be done remotely. As a result, in case of activation of the safety barrier, the drive can be completely stopped as usual or a run at a reduced speed can also be performed, for example, if there is no risk of injury when entering a restricted area. After the remotely controlled reset of the safety barrier, the cableway drive can be reactivated or the speed can be increased again, for example, from an operating room in the cableway station.

Preferably, the control unit is configured to automatically reactivate the cableway drive or to increase the drive speed again if a sensor signal corresponding to the closed position is received after a remotely controlled reset of the safety barrier from the open position to the closed position by the activation unit. As a result, essentially at least partially automated operation can be made possible, since a remotely controlled closing of the safety barrier can simultaneously result in the resumption of operation of the cableway without a separate activation having to be performed.

An alarm unit is preferably also provided at the cableway station and/or outside the cableway station, whereby a preferably visual and/or acoustic alarm is activated if an open position of the safety barrier is detected by the sensor. As a result, operating personnel and/or optionally other passengers can be alerted.

Preferably, the actuation unit of the safety barrier can be controlled wirelessly and/or wired via at least one fixed and/or portable remote control unit. For this purpose, the at least one fixed and/or portable remote control unit is preferably arranged at the cableway station and/or outside the cableway station. The fixed and/or portable remote control unit is preferably arranged in an operating room in the cableway station and/or in a central operating room for several cableway stations. A mobile phone or a portable computer can advantageously be provided as a portable remote control unit. As a result, a very flexible control of the safety barrier, independent of location, can be created. As a result, it is no longer necessary for the operating personnel to reset the safety barrier themselves, as before. Rather, this resetting can be done from an operating room or a central operating room or from any location via a mobile device.

The sensors are preferably connected to the control unit in a wireless or wired manner. Above all, a wireless connection results in a very simple system that requires almost no installation effort.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, a camera system having at least one camera and having an evaluation unit is provided as a sensor, at least the safety barrier being arranged in the capture range of the at least one camera, the evaluation unit being configured to evaluate the images captured by the at least one camera in order to detect an open state of the safety barrier and to transmit a sensor signal to the control unit. As a result, the open state can be detected using image recognition, so that a separate sensor does not have to be arranged directly on the safety barrier. In an advantageous manner, for example, it is also possible for multiple safety barriers to be monitored using the camera system.

Preferably, at least one camera is provided at the cableway station, at least one safety barrier is arranged in the capture range of the at least one camera, and a display unit for displaying images and/or videos captured by the camera is provided at the cableway station, preferably in an operating room, and/or outside the cableway station, preferably in a central operating room for several cableway stations. As a result, operating personnel can visually monitor the area of the safety barrier, for example from the operating room, and reset the safety barrier to the closed position by means of a remote control unit if no potential danger is detected.

Alternatively or additionally, mechanical contact switches, inductive sensors, capacitive sensors, light barriers, laser sensors, magnetic sensors or ultrasonic sensors arranged in the area of the safety barrier can also be provided as sensors. As a result, depending on the application, suitable switches can be used, for example, weatherproof sensors can be used in unprotected areas. If further sensors are provided in addition to the camera system, a redundant system can also be provided, whereby the reliability and, as a result, the safety of the cableway operation can be increased. As a result, a relatively simple and robust system can be created.

The object is also achieved by a safety system in which the safety barrier has a remotely operable activation unit for resetting the safety barrier from an open position to a closed position by means of a remote control unit.

The object is further achieved by a method for operating a cableway, in which when the safety barrier is moved from a closed position to an open position, the cableway drive is stopped by the control unit or the drive speed of the cableway drive is reduced, and the safety barrier is reset by means of the remote control unit from the open position, in which the cableway drive is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, to the closed position, in which the cableway drive can be reactivated or the drive speed can be increased again.

Hereinafter, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to figures 1 to 3, which show, by way of example, schematic and non-limiting advantageous embodiments of the invention. The drawings refer to the following figures:

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cableway station of the cableway. FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the cableway station for the three cableways. FIG. 1 shows several spatially separated cableway stations, each for one cableway, together with a central control room.

Figure 1 shows a cableway station 1 of a cableway S designed as a gondola lift. The basic structure and function of the cableway station 1 are known and for that reason a detailed description is omitted at this point. The illustration is therefore greatly simplified and only the components essential for the invention are shown. The cableway S has several cable cars F which are moved by means of a traction cable 12. In the example shown, the cableway S is designed as a circular cableway, in which the cable cars F are connected to and decoupled from the traction cable 12. In this case, the traction cable is deflected 180° around the sheave 13 and is driven by the sheave 13. For this purpose, a cableway drive 5, for example an electric drive, is provided which drives the sheave 13. Of course, this is only an example and it is also possible that several cableway stations 1, for example two end stations and one or more central stations, are provided in the cableway and that a cableway drive 5 is provided in each cableway station. Cable deflections of less than 180° would in principle also be conceivable. In general, at least two cableway stations are usually provided, between which a cable car F circulates, for example to transport people P and/or objects, and at least one cableway station 1 is provided with a cableway drive 5.

A control unit 4 is provided in the cableway station 1, which is connected to or integrated in the cableway drive 5 of the cableway S. The control unit 4 can be used to control the cableway drive 5 in order to control the movement of the pulleys 13 and, consequently, the movement of the traction cable 12. As a result, the speed at which the cable cars F are moved when they are connected to the traction cable 12 can be controlled. As is known, the cable cars F of the circulating cableway can also be decoupled from the traction cable 12 when entering the cableway station 1 so that they can be moved through the cableway station 1, mostly at a lower speed, independent of the speed of the traction cable 12. When they leave the cableway station 1, they can be reconnected to the traction cable 12. As a result, a more comfortable entry and exit for the cable cars F in the cableway station 1 can be made possible, and still a high carrying capacity can be achieved due to the constant high speed of the traction cable 12. In the decoupled state, the cable car F can be guided, for example, by means of rollers on guide rails (not shown), which are arranged in the upper region of the cableway station 1. The drive of the cable car F decoupled from the traction cable 12 during the movement in the cableway station 1 can be carried out, for example, via a known friction drive. Thus, within the scope of the present invention, the control unit 4 controls not only the drive of the traction cable 12, but also, inter alia, the drive of the cable car F in the decoupled state in the cableway station 1.

In principle, a control room 9 is also provided in the cableway station 1, from which the responsible operating personnel B controls the cableway, in particular the cableway drive 5. For this purpose, for example, a control console 14 can be provided in the control room 9, for example in the form of a computer connected to the control unit 4. The control room 9 is usually arranged in such a way that the operating personnel B responsible for the operation of the cableway S can see the areas of great importance, in particular the entrance and/or exit areas. Under certain circumstances, in the event of an unexpected event that endangers the safety of persons, for example if a passenger falls when getting on or off the cable car F, the operating personnel B can intervene and, for example, stop the cableway drive 5 via the control console 14, or at least reduce its speed.

In a known manner, one or more releasable safety barriers 2 can also be provided at the cableway station 1 to detect whether a person or object is located and/or has entered a particular area without authorization. Such safety barriers 2 are often arranged in areas that are particularly important with regard to safety, for example in the area of the cableway drive 5 of the cableway S, where the moving parts are located. A safety barrier 2 is often also arranged at the exit area of the cableway S, where the cable car F is reconnected to the traction cable 12 and picks up speed again.

In the exit area of the cable car, the safety barrier 2 can be used, for example, as a guide contour of the cable car. The shape of the safety barrier 2 can, for example, be adapted in a substantially complementary manner to the contour of the cable car or to a part of it. In normal operation, the cable car F passes the safety barrier 2 with the smallest possible distance between the cable car and the safety barrier 2 transverse to the direction of travel, and the safety barrier 2 is not activated or actuated. However, during the operation of the cableway S, certain dangerous situations can occur, for example, when the doors of the cable car are not locked or are not fully locked, when an object is caught in the door of the cable car, or when a person is dragged by the cable car. In these cases, the contour of the cable car or of a part thereof usually no longer corresponds to the contour of the cable car in normal operation. As a result, the safety barrier 2 is activated. This is because the safety barrier 2 is activated or actuated, for example, by a cable car door that protrudes laterally (not completely closed), an object, or a person, and is moved from a closed position to an open position during normal operation.

However, it is also possible that areas of the cableway station 1, which are not critical with regard to personal safety or risk of injury, but to which unauthorized persons, e.g. passengers, are not permitted to enter, for example for operational reasons, can be separated off using a safety barrier 2. A safety barrier 2 can be advantageous, inter alia, in areas which are particularly safety-related and/or have poor visibility for the operating personnel B. In principle, many different elements, e.g. doors, bars, etc., can be used as a safety barrier 2 suitable for preventing access through. The specific embodiment of the safety barrier 2 is, however, irrelevant for the present invention.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, three safety barriers 2 are arranged. In this case, one safety barrier 2 is arranged in the area of the cableway drive 5 under the pulley 13 to prevent access to the drive, in particular to the moving parts of the drive. To allow a better recognition of the components, the pulley 13 is shown cut away in the area of the safety barrier. A further safety barrier 2 is arranged in the exit area of the cableway station 1, where the cable car F is again connected to the traction cable 12 to increase the speed of the cable car F from the low speed in the cableway station 1 to the relatively high speed of the traction cable 12. The safety barrier 2 in the exit area can be provided, for example, as explained above, as a guide profile for the cable car F. A third safety barrier 2 is arranged adjacent to the operating room 9 and separates the entrance/exit area accessible to passengers from an area where access is not permitted for persons who are not authorized operating personnel, in particular passengers.

In normal operation of the cableway S, the safety barriers 2 are generally in a closed position in which passage is prevented, and can be moved from the closed position to the open position, for example when activated by a person or an object. A sensor 3 is assigned to each safety barrier 2, which is able to detect the open state of the associated safety barrier 2. The sensor 3 is connected to the control unit 4 and transmits a sensor signal Y to the control unit 4 depending on the open state. The signal transmission can be wired or wireless. The control unit 4 processes the acquired sensor signal Y and controls the cableway drive 5 depending on the sensor signal Y. In the simplest case, a mechanical contact switch, an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, a light barrier, a laser sensor, a magnetic sensor or an ultrasonic sensor arranged in the vicinity of the safety barrier 2 can be provided as sensor 3 as shown on the safety barrier 2 in the region of the drive in FIG. 1.

If the safety barrier 2 is activated by being moved from a closed position to an open position, the sensor 3 detects the open position and transmits a corresponding sensor signal Y to the control unit 4. In the simplest case, this may mean, for example, that the contact of a contact switch is interrupted. If a sensor signal Y corresponding to an open position is received, the control unit 4 can, for example, activate an emergency stop of the cableway drive 5. This is advantageous, in particular, when the safety barrier 2 is activated in an area that is particularly critical in terms of the risk of injury, for example near the cableway drive 5 in FIG. 1 or in the exit area of the cable car F from the cableway station 1. However, in the case of less critical areas, for example, a reduction in the speed of the cableway drive 5 can simply be performed.

Up to now, if the safety barrier 2 was activated, for example due to the safety barrier 2 being activated in the exit area by a passenger who wanted to board the cable car F too late, an emergency stop of the cableway S was generally activated. However, activation could also be caused by an object, for example an object caught in the passenger compartment door. The responsible operating personnel B previously visually checked the area of the safety barrier 2 in question themselves and identified the cause of the activation of the safety barrier 2. If they determined that normal operating conditions existed or were restored, the safety barrier 2 was manually closed manually. The cableway drive 5 was then activated manually, also manually, by the same or another of the responsible operating personnel B, usually from the operating room 9 of the cableway station 1. Particularly in cases of long distances between the operating room 9 and the safety barrier 2, if operation and monitoring are performed by, for example, only one of the operating personnel B, this can lead to relatively long waiting times before the operation of the cableway S can be resumed.

Therefore, within the scope of the present invention, a remotely operable actuation unit 6 is assigned to at least one safety barrier 2, so that the safety barrier 2 can be moved from an open position to a closed position again without manual intervention by means of a suitable remote control unit 7. In the example according to FIG. 1, each of the three shown safety barriers 2 is assigned a remotely operable actuation unit 6. "Remotely" or "at a distance" in this context means, inter alia, that it is possible to take actions influencing the safety barrier 2 by means of the actuation unit 6 in order to reset the safety barrier 2 from an open position to a closed position again, without the need for a person of the operating personnel to be located on-site at the safety barrier 2. In the context of the present invention, the closed position of the safety barrier 2 generally means a position of the safety barrier 2 in a normal state in which unrestricted normal operation of the cableway S is possible. In the context of the present invention, the open position is generally understood to mean any given position of the safety barrier 2 deviating from the closed position, in which restricted operation of the cableway S is caused. The closed and open positions are detected by means of at least one sensor 3.

The fixed remote control unit 7a can be provided, for example, as a remote control unit 7, which is arranged, for example, in an operating room 9 of the cableway station 1 or in a control center that is spatially separated from the cableways and is operated by a person in the operating room 9 or in the control center. A central operating room 17 can be provided, for example, as a control center, which is provided for controlling several cableways that are spatially separated from each other, as will be explained in detail in FIG. 3. The fixed remote control unit 7a can be integrated, for example, in a control console 14. However, as shown at the top left in FIG. 1, a mobile remote control unit 7b can also be provided, with which the activation unit 6 can be controlled locally, independently of the operating room 9. For example, a suitable mobile phone, such as a smartphone, or a suitable portable computer, such as a tablet computer, can be considered.

The activation unit 6 can have a suitable drive unit, for example an electric drive, via which the safety barrier 2 is reset. Of course, other drives are also possible, such as hydraulic, pneumatic or electromagnetic drives. The control of the activation unit 6 can be performed directly, by a control signal being sent directly from the remote control unit 7 to the activation unit 6. This signal transmission can be wireless, for example via radio, or traditionally wired, for example via electrical wires. However, the control can also be performed centrally indirectly via the control unit 4, by a control signal being sent from the remote control unit 7 to the control unit 4, which then controls the activation unit 6.

After the safety barrier 2 has been moved again to the closed position via the remote control unit 7, the closed position is detected by the sensor 3 and a corresponding sensor signal Y is transmitted to the control unit 4. As a result, a state of operation is restored in which the cableway drive 5 can be restarted or the speed can be increased again, for example with manual control by the operating personnel B. Preferably, however, the control unit 4 automatically starts the cableway drive 5 or increases its speed when a sensor signal Y corresponding to the closed position is received, depending on whether the drive was stopped or only reduced in speed when the safety barrier 2 was open. It is important that starting up or increasing in speed of the cableway drive 5 is only possible when the safety barrier 2 has been moved again to the closed position, i.e. when the safety barrier 2 is considered to be in a normal state again. In the open position, this is not possible for safety reasons. Advantageously, the activation unit 6 is activated to close the safety barrier 2 only when the operating personnel B has verified that there is no longer any risk in the area of the relevant safety barrier 2.

If the area of the activated safety barrier 2 is not visible or only poorly visible, it may be advantageous for the safety barrier 2 to be monitored by a camera 10. The safety barrier 2 is arranged in the capture range of the camera 10 and the captured images are transmitted, preferably in the form of video, for example to a suitable display unit, for example to a monitor in the control room 9 or to a (for example fixed or mobile) remote control unit 7. The operating personnel B can then monitor the situation directly from the control room 9 or by means of the remote control unit 7 and can move the safety barrier 2 to the closed position and restore the operation of the cableway S accordingly, in particular activating the cableway drive 5. As a result, an advantageous partially automated operation of the cableway S can be achieved while retaining the same level of safety and the waiting times before the cableway S can be restarted can be reduced.

An alarm unit 8 is also preferably provided in the cableway station 1, which preferably activates a visual or acoustic alarm signal when a sensor signal Y corresponding to the open position is received. In this case too, a direct, wireless or wired transmission of the sensor signal Y to the alarm unit 8 can take place, or the alarm unit 8 can be activated indirectly via the control unit 4 receiving the sensor signal Y. For example, a kind of siren can be provided as the alarm unit 8 for signaling the activation of the safety barrier 2. For example, a signal light, for example a beacon light, can also be provided as an additional or alternative. Preferably, one signal light can be arranged per safety barrier 2, which facilitates the detection of a particular activated safety barrier 2. However, the alarm unit 8 can also be arranged outside the cableway station 1, for example in a central control room 17 (FIG. 3).

It is particularly advantageous if a camera system K with at least one camera 10 and an evaluation unit 11 is used as the sensor 3. The cameras 10 are arranged in such a way that at least one safety barrier 2 is arranged in the capture range A of the at least one camera 10. If this is possible, given the spatial arrangement, it is of course also possible for several safety barriers 2 to be arranged in the capture range A of the camera 10, as shown by means of dashed lines in FIG. 1. The evaluation unit 11 is provided for evaluating the images captured by the at least one camera 10 in order to detect an open state of the safety barrier 2 and to transmit a sensor signal Y corresponding to said open state to the control unit 4.

For this purpose, image recognition is implemented in the evaluation unit 11 in a known manner, for example in the form of hardware and/or software designed to detect the open state of the respective safety barrier 2. The use of such a camera system K is known in the prior art, for example by the term "machine vision". The evaluation unit 11 can form one unit, for example together with the camera 10 as shown, but can also be integrated, for example, into the control unit 4 or designed as a separate unit. By using the camera system K, for example, conventional sensors in the vicinity of the safety barrier 2 can be omitted. To increase safety, the camera system K and the sensor 3 can also be used in parallel for redundancy reasons.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a single cableway station 1 for three cableways S1-S3. Such an arrangement can be advantageous, for example, to create a common boarding point that can transport passengers in several different directions. In this case, passengers can decide at the cableway station 1 which cableway S1-S3 they want to board and board the corresponding cable car F. By using a common one instead of three structurally separate cableway stations 1, a more cost-efficient and space-saving design can be realized. In addition, it is possible to control and monitor the cableways S1-S3 centrally, whereby a simpler and more cost-efficient operation can be achieved.

Whereas in the past at least one of the cableway personnel B was required for each cableway station 1 to control the cableways Si and to monitor the operation, this is now possible in the illustrated embodiment with a smaller number of personnel. Thus, in the illustrated example, only one operating room 9 is provided, from which the three cableways S1-S3 can be controlled via the central control unit 4. Each cableway S1-S3 is assigned a separate cableway drive 5 for driving the respective sheaves 13 and for driving the cable cars F that are decoupled from the traction cables in the cableway station 1. The cableway drives 5 are controlled by the central control unit 4, as a result of which, for example, the movements of the cable cars F of the three cableways S1-S3 can be synchronized or coordinated with one another. Due to the separate cableway drives 5, it may not be necessary for all cableways S1-S3 to be in operation at all times, but rather, for example, only one or two of the three cableways S1-S3 may be in operation. Of course, it is also possible to provide a shared cableway drive 5 for all cableways S1-S3.

According to the invention, one openable safety barrier 2 with an actuation unit 6 that can be controlled by means of a remote control unit 7 is assigned to each of the exit areas of the cableways S1-S3. Of course, it is also possible to provide only one safety barrier 2 with a remotely operable actuation unit 6. The safety barrier 2 can be provided, for example, as described above, as a guide profile for the passenger compartment of the cable car F. The remote control unit 7 is in this case arranged in the form of a fixed remote control unit 7a in the operating room 9 and is integrated, among other things, into a control console 14. The control console 14 is connected to a central control unit 4 for controlling the cableway drive 5. Each safety barrier 2 is assigned a camera 10 of the camera system K that functions as a sensor 3. Each of the safety barriers 2 is arranged in the capture range A of the associated camera 10.

In this case, the evaluation unit 11 of the camera system K is integrated into the control unit 4. As already described with reference to FIG. 1, the open state of the safety barrier 2 is monitored via the camera system K by means of image recognition and, if an open position of the safety barrier 2 is detected, a corresponding sensor signal Y is transmitted to the central control unit 4. Depending on the particular embodiment, the control unit 4 stops or reduces the speed of the cableway drives 5 of all cableways S1-S3 in response to the sensor signal Y. In the case of separate cableway drives 5, it is of course also possible to stop or reduce the speed of only the particular cableway Si in which the safety barrier 2 has been activated.

One or more alarm units (not shown) are then preferably provided inside and/or outside the cableway station 1 to signal the activation of the safety barrier 2. In addition to a general alarm signal at the cableway station 1 in the form of a light or siren, which is also perceptible to passengers, the safety barrier 2 which is activated in each case can also be indicated in an appropriate manner in the operating room 9, for example on a monitor. As a result, a faster reaction can be made, since the activated safety barrier 2 can be identified more quickly.

If not all safety barriers 2 are visible from the control room 9, it is advantageous if the camera system K, in addition to its function as a sensor 3, is also used to show the situation at least in the area of the activated safety barriers 2 to the operating personnel B in the control room 9, preferably as a video transmission. As a result, it can be determined from the control room 9 whether a potentially dangerous situation, such as a fallen person or a trapped object, has been rectified, and the associated safety barrier 2 can be moved again to the closed position by means of the remote control unit 7b directly from the control room 9. The camera system K continues to monitor the safety barrier 2 and transmits a corresponding sensor signal Y to the control unit 4 when the closed position is reached. As a result, a normal operating state is restored, in which, for example, the cableway drive 5 of the respective cableway Si can be restarted or the speed can be increased again, which can be done actively by the operating personnel B from the control room 9, for example. In an advantageous embodiment, when a sensor signal Y is received, the control unit 4 autonomously controls the cableway drive 5 in response to the acquired sensor signal Y to automatically restore operation of a given cableway Si or all of the cableways S1 to S3 or to increase their speed again.

If a possible danger still exists in the area of the activated safety barrier 2, the operating personnel B can assess the situation in the area of the safety barrier 2 themselves and restore operationally safe conditions. In this case, it may be advantageous if the safety barrier 2 can be closed via a mobile remote control unit 7b, not shown in FIG. 2 (see, for example, FIG. 1), in order to return the cableway Si or all the cableways S1-S3 to operation as quickly as possible. From this it can be seen that the efficiency of the operation of the cableway compared to conventional cableways can be increased by the invention and at the same time a high operational safety can be achieved. According to a further advantageous embodiment, remote controllability can also be used to activate some of the safety barriers 2 at cableway stations 1 that are arranged apart from one another, as will be explained below with reference to FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3, a part of a ski resort is shown in a highly simplified manner. A road 15 runs through the valley of the ski resort. In the ski resort, three cableways S1 to S3 are provided, each having a first cableway station 1a in the form of a terminal station designed as a base station and a second cableway station 1b in the form of a terminal station designed as a top station. Of course, further cableway stations 1 in the form of a central station can also be provided in between. The cableways S1 to S3 are embodied as circular cableways, each having a number of cable cars F, which can be moved between the cableway stations 1a, 1b by means of a towing cable 12 in a known manner to transport people and/or objects from the base station to the top station (and vice versa). To guide the towing cable 12, several cableway columns 16 are arranged in a known manner between the cableway stations 1a, 1b. Of course, the illustrations are greatly simplified and show only those features essential to understanding the invention.

At least one cableway station 1a, 1b of each cableway S1-S3 is also provided in each case with a cableway drive 5 (not shown) for driving the traction cable 12 by means of pulleys 13, shown by dashed lines, and each of the cableway drives 5 is controlled by a control unit 4 (not shown), as already described in detail. For a simpler installation, the cableway drive 5 is generally provided at the foot station 1a. The structure and function of the cableways S1-S3 have already been described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, for which reason this will not be discussed in more detail at this point.

In the shown example, one or more safety barriers 2 (not shown) are provided at the cableway stations 1a, 1b of the three cableways S1-S3, the mode of operation of which has already been described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. According to the invention, the safety barriers 2 each have an actuation unit 6 which can be actuated by means of one (or several) remote control units 7 to enable the safety barrier 2 to be reset after actuation from an open position (in which position the cableway drive 5 is interrupted or at least the speed is reduced) to a closed position (in which position the cableway drive 5 can be reactivated or the speed can be increased again). However, it would of course still be sufficient for the invention if only one safety barrier 2 of a cableway station Si is assigned a remotely operable actuation unit 6. The remotely controlled resetting of the safety barrier 2 by means of the remote control unit 7 and the subsequent restart of the cableway drive 5 of the respective cableway Si can take place, for example, in separate steps. However, in an advantageous embodiment, if the closed position of the safety barrier 2 is detected by the associated sensor 3 and a corresponding sensor signal Y is received by the associated control unit 4, the reset can also be performed automatically by the control unit 4.

In the example shown, a central control room 17 is provided as an alternative or addition to the control rooms 9 (see Figs. 1 and 2) possibly provided in each of the cableway stations 1a, 1b. The central control room 17 in this case is spatially separated from the cableway stations 1a, 1b of the cableways S1-S3 and is, for example, in a separate building in the ski resort. However, it is also possible that one of the control rooms 9 of the cableway stations 1a, 1b or the central control room 17 located completely outside the ski resort is provided as the central control room 17. In the central control room 17, a fixed remote control unit 7a is provided, by means of which the actuation units 6 of the safety barriers 2 of all cableway stations 1a, 1b of the cableways S1-S3 can be remotely controlled to move the safety barriers 2 from the open position to the closed position.

Preferably, after reaching the closed position, the cableway drives 5 can also be activated again or the speed can be increased again from the central control room 17, for example by providing a central control console (not shown) in the central control room 17, which can control the control unit 4. However, according to a preferred embodiment, a restart of the respective cableway drives 5 is performed automatically when the closed position of the safety barrier 2 is detected by the respective sensor 3 and a corresponding sensor signal Y is transmitted to the control unit 4. By using the central control room 17, the cableways S1-S3 can advantageously be controlled centrally and an at least partially automated operation of the cableways S1-S3 can be achieved, whereby the operating personnel B do not have to be present on-site directly at the cableway stations 1a, 1b to close the safety barrier 2.

As an alternative or in addition to the shown fixed remote control unit 7a in the central control room 17, it would also be conceivable that the safety barrier 2 is also operated by a mobile remote control unit 7b. As a result, the closing of the safety barrier 2 and preferably the restarting of the respective cableway drive 5 can be performed independently of the location of the cableway stations 1a, 1b and of the central control room 17, as shown, for example, in FIG. 3. The communication of the mobile remote control unit 7b with the control unit 4 of the respective cableway S1-S3 is preferably performed wirelessly, for example via a suitable radio connection. A suitable mobile phone, in particular a smartphone, and/or a portable computer, in particular a tablet computer, can for example be provided as the mobile remote control unit 7b.

In order to be able to visually monitor the area of the safety barrier 2 without the presence of the operating personnel B at the cableway stations 1a, 1b, it is advantageous if the area of the safety barrier 2 is monitored by means of a camera 10 (see FIG. 1), the captured images or videos being displayed on a display unit, preferably with real-time transmission. The display unit can, for example, be provided in the central control room 17, for example integrated in the form of a monitor into the central control console. However, it is also possible for a suitable mobile remote control unit 7b to serve as the display unit. As a result, if necessary, for example, when the safety barrier 2 is activated in one of the cableway stations 1a, 1b and the cableway drive 5 is stopped, the situation in the area of the activated safety barrier 2 can be checked via the display unit in the central control room 17 (or via the mobile remote control unit 7b).

Thanks to the transmitted images or videos of the camera 10, it can be easily determined whether there is still a potential danger. If necessary, for example if passengers are injured when the safety barrier 2 is activated, the operating personnel B and/or emergency response personnel can be sent to the scene. If it is determined based on the transmitted images or videos that there is no longer any danger, the safety barrier 2 can be moved again to the closed position by means of the respective fixed and/or mobile remote control units 7a, 7b and the cableway drive 5 can be restarted, preferably automatically.

If mechanical contact switches, inductive sensors, capacitive sensors, light barriers, laser sensors, magnetic sensors, ultrasonic sensors, etc. arranged in the area of the safety barrier 2 are provided as sensors 3 for detecting the open state of the safety barrier 2, a separate camera 10 is required for visual monitoring of the safety barrier 2. If a camera system K with at least one camera 10 and with an evaluation unit 11 is provided as sensor 3, the camera 10 of the camera system K can advantageously also be used to transmit the captured images and/or videos to the display unit. With the present invention, the permanent presence of the operating personnel B at the respective cableway stations 1a, 1b is therefore no longer necessary, except, for example, only when it is necessary to deal with an interruption in the operation of the cableways S1-S3, which cannot be dealt with via remote control.

Preferably, one or more alarm units 8 can also be provided inside and/or outside the cableway stations 1a, 1b to activate an alarm if the safety barriers 2 are activated. For example, an alarm unit 8 can be provided in the cableway stations 1a, 1b to signal the activation of the safety barriers 2. However, an alarm unit 8 is also advantageously provided in the central control room 17 to signal the operating personnel B by means of an alarm signal that the safety barriers 2 have been activated, and also preferably which of the safety barriers 2 have been activated.

Claims (19)

A cableway station (1) for at least one cableway (S), in which at least one releasable safety barrier (2) is provided, a sensor (3) for detecting the open state of the at least one safety barrier (2) is provided in the cableway station (1), the sensor (3) transmits a sensor signal (Y) to a control unit (4) of a cableway drive (5) in response to the open state, and the control unit (4) controls the cableway drive (5) in response to the sensor signal (Y), and in the cableway station (1), the control unit (4) detects the open position of the safety barrier (2). The cableway station (1) is provided for stopping the cableway drive (5) or reducing the drive speed of the cableway drive (5) when the sensor signal (Y) corresponding to is received, and the safety barrier (2) has a remotely operable activation unit (6) that can be controlled with a remote control unit (7) to reset the safety barrier (2) from the open position, in which the cableway drive (5) is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, to a closed position, in which the cableway drive (5) can be reactivated or the drive speed can be increased again. The cableway station (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (4) is configured to automatically activate the cableway drive (5) again or to increase the drive speed again if a sensor signal (Y) corresponding to the closed position is received after a remote reset of the safety barrier (2) from the open position to the closed position by the activation unit (6). A cableway station (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an alarm unit (8) is provided in the cableway station (1) and/or outside the cableway station (1) to activate a preferably visual and/or acoustic alarm when the open position of the safety barrier (2) is detected by the sensor (3). Cableway station (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the activation unit (6) of the safety barrier (2) can be controlled wirelessly and/or by wire via at least one fixed and/or portable remote control unit (7a, 7b), preferably at least one fixed and/or portable remote control unit (7a, 7b) is arranged at the cableway station (1), preferably in an operation room (9) and/or outside the cableway station (1), preferably in a central operation room (17) for several cableway stations (1). A cableway station (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sensor (3) is connected to the control unit (4) in a wireless or wired manner. The cableway station (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a camera system (K) having at least one camera (10) and having an evaluation unit (11) is provided as the sensor (3), the at least one safety barrier (2) is arranged in a capture range (A) of the at least one camera (10), and the evaluation unit (11) is configured to evaluate the images captured by the at least one camera (10) to detect at least the open state of the safety barrier (2) and to transmit the sensor signal (Y) to the control unit (4). Cableway station (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one camera (10) is provided at the cableway station (1), the at least one safety barrier (2) is arranged in the capture range (A) of the at least one camera (10), and a display unit for displaying images and/or videos captured by the camera (10) is provided at the cableway station (1), preferably in an operation room (9) and/or outside the cableway station (1), preferably in a central operation room (17) for several cableway stations (1). The cableway station (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a mechanical contact switch, an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, a light barrier, a laser sensor, a magnetic sensor or an ultrasonic sensor arranged in the area of the safety barrier (2) is provided as the sensor (3). A safety system for a cableway station (1), in which a camera system (K) having at least one camera (10) and an evaluation unit (11) is provided as at least one sensor (3), at least one safety barrier (2) is arranged in the capture range (A) of the at least one camera (10), the evaluation unit (11) is arranged to evaluate the images captured by the at least one camera (10) to detect the open state of the safety barrier (2) and the safety barrier (2) is provided with the sensor (3) for generating a sensor signal (Y), characterized in that the safety barrier (2) has a remotely operable activation unit (6) by means of which the safety barrier (2) can be reset from an open position to a closed position by a remote control unit (7). A safety system according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises an alarm unit (8) for activating a preferably visual and/or acoustic alarm when the open position of the safety barrier (2) is detected by the sensor (3). A safety system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that it comprises a fixed and/or mobile remote control unit (7a, 7b) for controlling the activation unit (6) of the safety barrier (2). A safety system according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the safety system comprises at least one camera (10) and a display unit for displaying images and/or videos captured by the camera (10), and the at least one safety barrier (2) is arranged in the capture range (A) of the at least one camera (10). A safety system according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that a mechanical contact switch, an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, a light barrier, a laser sensor, a magnetic sensor or an ultrasonic sensor arranged in the area of the safety barrier (2) is provided as the sensor (3). A method for operating at least one cableway (S) using at least one cableway station (1) in which an openable safety barrier (2) is arranged, in which the open state of the safety barrier (2) is monitored and the cableway drive (5) of the at least one cableway (S) is controlled by a control unit (4) depending on the open state, characterized in that when the safety barrier (2) is moved from a closed position to an open position, the cableway drive (5) is stopped by the control unit (4) or the drive speed of the cableway drive (5) is reduced and the safety barrier (2) is reset by a remote control unit (7) from the open position, in which the cableway drive (5) is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, to the closed position, in which the cableway drive (5) can be reactivated or the drive speed can be increased again. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that when the safety barrier (2) is reset to the closed position by means of the remote control unit (7), the cableway drive (5) is automatically reactivated by the control unit (4) or the drive speed of the cableway drive (5) is increased again. Method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that when the safety barrier (2) is opened, a preferably visual and/or acoustic alarm is activated at the cableway station (1) and/or outside the cableway station (1). Method according to one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that the safety barrier (2) is controlled via a fixed remote control unit (7a) preferably located in the control room (9) of the cableway station (1) and/or in a central control room (17) outside the cableway station (1) for several cableway stations (1), or via a portable remote control unit (7a), and preferably a mobile phone or a portable computer. The method according to one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that the open state of the safety barrier (2) is monitored using a camera system (K), and images of the safety barrier (2) arranged in a capture range (A) of the camera (10) are captured by at least one camera (10) and the images are evaluated by an evaluation unit (11) using image recognition to detect the open state. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that images and/or videos of the safety barrier (2) located in the capture range (A) of the cameras (10) are captured by at least one camera (10) and displayed on a display unit, preferably located in an operating room (9) of the cableway station (1) and/or in a central operating room (17) outside the cableway station (1).

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