Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The invention relates to a cabin for a cable-
car, comprising a floor, two opposing lateral walls, at
least one of which has a door opening, two opposing end
walls, and a roof.
In existing cabins of this kind, the shell of the
cabin, apart from the windows and doors, consists of sheet
metal and frame members welded together. Such cabins are
normally made in the manufacturer's plant~ During transporta-
tion from the plant, they occupy a relatively large amount of
room, and transportation costs are therefore relatively high,
especially over long distances. Now it would, of course,
also be possible to weld the parts of the cabin together in
situ, i.e. in the vicinity of the cable-car system, but this
would involve transporting welding and auxiliary equipment,
and welders, to the location of the cable-car system, which
would also have a detrimental effect upon the costs, all the
more so since the parts of the cabin to be welded are of
aluminum and the welding of aluminum is relatively demanding
work requiring special equipment and specially trained
personnel.
It is therefore an object of the invention to
provide a cabin, the component parts of which may be trans-
ported compactly to the site of the aerial cable-car or
funicular where they can be assembled by personnel without
any special training.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided
a cabin for a cable-car, comprising a floor, two lateral walls
facing each other, at least one of which has a door opening,
two end walls facing each other, and a roof, and characterized
in that the floor, walls and roof are detachably connected to
each otherO At least a part of the roof and walls are secured
together by ~astening means, at least those edges of the lateral
walls and of the end walls which are adjacent to one another
being formed at least in part by frame members which extend
along each other in pairs', bear upon each other', and are
fastened together by the fastening means passing through
one of the frame members. One of each of these pairs of
adjacent frame members thus fastened together has a longi-
tudinal rib, while the other has a longitudinal groove with
which the rib engages, and sides of the longitudinal grooves
taper towards their bottoms so that sides of the longitudinal
ribs bear upon sides of the longitudinal grooves.
The design according to the invention makes it
possible to transport the cabin in the dismantled condition
to the point of use', whereby the floor', wall and roof panels
of a plurality of cabins are stacked for transportion in
containers.
At least those edges of the lateral wall panels and of
the end wall panels which are adjacent to one another are
thus formed at least in part by frame members which extend
along each other in pairs, bear upon each other, and are
fastened together. One of each of these pairs of adjacent
frame members thus fastened together has a longitudinal rib,
while the other has a longitudinal groove with which the rib
engages. This provides highly stable connections, in which
the fastening means are scarcely stressed in shear by the
forces in the vertical direction, and in the direction of
travel', arising when the cabin is in operation.
The sides of the longitudinal grooves taper
towards their bottoms. The longitudinal ribs and grooves
may be trapezoidal in cross section, for example, in which
case they center themselves as the cabin is assembled. This
speeds up the assembly and eliminates any problems.
The in~ention will be explained hereinafter in
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conjunction with the e~ample of embodiment illustrated in
the drawing attached hereto, wherein:
Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the lateral wall of
the cabin comprising the door opening, the door having been
omitted,
Fig. 2 is an elevation showing an end wall of the
cabin illustrated in Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is a section along the line III-III in
Fig. 1, without the door and to an enlarged scale,
Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV in Fig. 1,
Fig, 5 is a section along the line V-V in Fig. 1,
Fig. 6 is a section along the line VI-VI in Fig. 1,
and
Fig. 7 is a section along the line VII-VII in Fig. 1.
Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a cabin for a cable-car,
the said cabin being in the form of a box comprising a floor
1, a flat vertical lateral wall panel 21 equipped with an
opening 27 for a door 22 shown in Fig. 2, a flat vertical
lateral wall panel 41, two curved end wall panels 61, and a
roof panel 81~ Lateral wall panels 21, 41 extend parallel
with the direction of travel. Arranged above roof 81 is a
suspension 101 including rollers 102 by means of which the
cabin may be suspended from a cable. The cabin is provided
with two seats, not shown, the backs thereof running along
end wall panels 61.
Floor panel 1 includes a plate 2 forming the
internal floor of the cabin and equipped with upwardly bent
tabs 2a which are shown in Fig. ~ and in dotted lines in
~ig. 3, and are bolted to parts to be described in greater
detail hereinafter. Located under floor plate 2, in the
vicinity of door opening 27, is a rectangular frame 11 which
consists of two U-shaped channels 12 extending at ri~ht
angles to lateral wall panels 21', 41', and of two flanges 13
welded to the channels 12 and extending parallel to the
latexal wall panels 21', 41. Frame 11 is secured to floor
member 2 by means of bolts, not shown', or by some other
removable fasteners. The area defined by frame 11 is closed
off at the bottom by an outer floor member which is not
visible in the drawing. Thus frame 11, in conjunction with
floor member 2 and the external floor member, encloses a
cavity. This cavity accommodates a door-actuating device
such as that described in Swiss Patent 569,603 and correspond-
ing U.S. Patent 3,971',324. The said door-actuating device is
connected, by a Bowden cable 103, to a sensing lever 104 fitted
with a roller, the said lever being pivoted, as the cabin enters
and leaves the station, by an appropriate control rail.
Furthermore, a pivot arm 16 extends through an aperture in
the frame and is connected to the door by means of a threaded
pivot pin.
The bottom of lateral wall panel 21 is provided', on
each side of door opening 27, with a horizontal tubular frame
member 23. The tubular frame member 23 comprises two right-
angled walls 23a, 23b and an arcuate wall 23c extending over
a central angle of 90. Wall 23b is provided with a longi-
tudinal groove 23d, the bottom of which runs parallel with
the plane of wall 23b which is in the plane of lateral wall
panel 21. The sides of the groove 23d taper towards the
bottom and thus the groove 23d is trapezoidal in shape. Wall
23b is thickened near the bottom of the groove and has a
threaded bore 23h', as shown in Fig. 4', at the end remote from
the door opening. A flange 23e extends tangentially from the
arcuate wall 23c', and projects beyond the wall 23a. The flange
23e is provided with openings 23f ~or rivets 32.
Lateral wall 21 also comprises two curved tubular
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frame members 2~ running upwardly and constituting its
lateral edges', the lower ends of the tubular frame members
being welded to tubular frame members 23', running at right
angles to lateral wall 21. As may be gathered from Fig.
5', the lower parts of tubular frame members 24 have the
same cross-sectional shape and dimensions as tubular frame
members 23. They thus have three walls 24a, 24b and 24c',
wall 24b being provided with a longitudinal groove 24d.
Moreover', where walls 24a', 24b come together', there is an
outwardly projecting flange 24e tangential to wall 24c.
The cross-sectional shape of the upper parts of
tubular frame members 24 is shown in Fig. 6. In addition to
the walls already mentioned', there is a flange 24g which
projects tangentially to wall 24c beyond wall 24b. A
frangible line is provided where flanges 24e, 24g merge with
walls 24a and 24b respectively by means of longitudinal
throats 24', so that they may be relatively easily broken
off. Tubular frame member 24 may therefore be extruded
having the cross-sectional shape illustrated in Fig. 6
from which flange 24g may be separated if necessary. The
same applies to tubular frame members 23 and 25.
Welded to the upper end of tubular frame member
24 is a tubular frame member 25 running horizontally. The
cross-sectional shape of tubular frame member 25 is shown
in Fig. 7~ It comprises two walls 25a, 25b', forming a right
angle with each other, and an arcuate wall 25c. These walls
are of the same shape and dimensions as walls 23a', 23b', 23c.
Wall 25b has a longitudinal groove 25d', the bottom of which
runs parallel with the plane of lateral wall 21. However,
in the vicinity of door opening 27, bar 25 has no projecting
flanges. On the other hand', on either side of the door open-
ing the flanges 25e have been left attached.
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Thus the outer edges of lateral wall 21 are formed
by tubular frame members 23, 24, 25, all of which are
identical. They thus differ only in that they are provided
with projecting flanges on one or both sides of the central
parts over a portion, or the wh~e of, their entire length.
~ubular frame members 23, 24, 25 may therefore be made of
the same extrusion. The ends of tubular frame members 23,
24, 25, 26 are trimmed in such a manner that they can be
conveniently butt-welded together.
The sides of door opening 27 are defined by vertical
tubular frame members 26, the upper ends of which are welded
to tubular frame members 25 and the lower ends to the ends of
each of tubular frame members 23. Tubular frame members 26
have flanges 26a, 26b parallel with the plane of lateral wall
21, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 7, which are united by
means of a web which runs in such a direction that tubular
frame members 26 are of Z-shaped cross section. Tubular
frame members 23, 24, 25, 26 are made of a light metal,
namely an aluminum alloy. Arranged behind each tubular frame
member 26 is a cross-sectionally rectangular steel tension band
28 which is riveted to leg 26a of tubular frame member 26 by
rivets 29'. Furthermore, tension band 28 and leg 26a are
secured, at the lower end of the tubular ~rame member, by
means of bolts 29, to plate 13 of frame 11 pertaining to
floor 1.
On each side of door opening 27, lateral wall panel
21 is provided with a horizontal light metal tubular frame
member 30. One end of each tubular frame member 30 is welded
to a tubular frame member 24, while the other end is welded to
a tubular frame member 26. Below tubular frame member 30, a
light metal plate 31 is secured to each of tubular frame members
23, 2~, 26, 30, by means of rivets 32 sho~m in Figs. 3 and
5. It should be noted in particular that plate 31 is
riveted to flange 24e on tubular frame member 24. Located
above each of tubular frame members 30 is a transparent
window 34 made of synthetic material or glass.
As may be seen in Fig. 6, window 34 is held by a
resilient strip 33 acting as a seal. Each side of strip
33 has a longitudinal slot accommodating the edges of the
window. The outer slot allows strip 33 to be placed upon
the flanges of the respective tubular frame members. The
section of strip 33 shown in Fig. 6 is fitted to flange 24e -
of tubular frame member 24. The upper horizontal section of
the strip is placed upon corresponding flange 25e of tubular
frame member 25. The vertical section of strip 33 at the
side of the door is placed upon flange 26b of tubular frame
member 26. The lower horizontal section of the said strip is
placed upon one flange of tubular frame member 30.
~ hinge pin 15 for the door, not shown in Figs. 1
to 3, is secured to tubular frame member 23 by means of a
support 14. Another hinge pin 38 is secured to tubular frame
member 25 and is in alignment with lower hinge pin 15.
Lateral wall panel 41, facing lateral wall panel 21,
is of identical design. However, instead of the two tubular
frame members 23, interrupted by the door opening, there is a
tubular frame member 43 extending over the entire length of
the lower edge of the wall. This is visible in Fig. 3 and is
of the same cross-sectional shape and dimensions as tubular
frame member 23. The vertical outer edges of wall panel 41 are
formed by tubular frame members 44 which are of the same design
as tubular frame members 24. Lateral wall panel 41 which has
no doors has tubular frame members 46, instead of vertical
Z-shaped tubular frame members 26. The tubular frame members 46
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are welded at the bottom to tubular frame members 43 and', at
the top', to a tubular frame member corxesponding to tubular
frame member 25 which', in contrast to tubular frame member 25',
also has a downwardly projecting flange in the longitudinal
section facing the door opening. Lateral wall panel 41 also
has tubular frame members corresponding to tubular frame
members 30 and a tubular frame member 50 in alignment there-
with, the ends of which are welded to tubular frame members 46.
Riveted below the tubular frame members corresponding to
tubular frame members 30 and tubular frame member 50 is a
plate 51 extending over the entire length of lateral wall
panel 41. Three transparent panes are inserted above the
said tubular frame members between outer tubular frame members
44 and inner tubular frame members 46. Tubular frame members
43, 44', 46', 50 and the additional prev:iously mentioned tubular
frame members of lateral wall panel 41', are made of a light
metal, like the corresponding tubular frame mem'bers in lateral
wall panel 21. Two steel tension bands 48 of the same design
as tension band 2~ are also provided. Vertical tubular frame
members 46 and tension bands 48 are secured by means of bolts
49 and plate 47 having a threaded hole to tubular frame member
13, running parallel with lateral wall panel 41', of frame 11
pertaining to floor 1.
As already mentioned, member 2 of floor 1 has upwardly-
bent tabs 2a which bear against the curved surfaces of walls
24a and the corresponding surfaces of tubular frame members 44
and are secured thereto by means of bolts 3 already mentioned.
This means that floor 1 is secured detachably to lateral wall
panels 21, 41.
Roof 81 has a frame consisting of four light-metal
beams welded together at the corners thereof. Two of these
beams run horizontally along the upper edges of lateral wall
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panels 21', 41. One of these beams may be seen in Fig, 7 in
which it is marked 82 and comprises two legs 82a, 82b', form-
ing together an angle somewhat larger than 90. Leg 82a
faces the identical opposing beam of the roof frame and
slopes slightly upwards. Curved roof plate 84 is riveted
to leg 82a. Leg 82b extends vertically downwards from the
top of beam 82 and is provided with a cross-sectionally
trapezoidal', longitudinal rib 82c which is complementary
to longitudinal groove 25d in tubular frame member 25 and
projects thereinto. The section of tubular frame member 25
adjacent the bottom of the groove is provided with threaded
holes 25h. In the vicinity of longitudinal rib 82c', leg 82b
is provided with openings 82d. Roof frame beams 82 are
secured, by means of bolts 85 passing through holes 82d,
to tubular frame member 25 and to the corresponding tubular
frame member of lateral wall panel 41.
Below beams 82 each tension band 28 is slightly
offset towards the interior of the cabin', and has a hole for
one of bolts 85. Above this bolt', tension band 28 passes
through a slot in leg 82a and through a slot in plate 84.
The two tension bands pertaining to lateral wall panel 41
are of the same design and are similarly secured to the
roof frame. Base 105 of suspension 101', consisting of beams
welded together', is secured detachably, by means of bolts 106,
to the ends of tension bands 28', 48 projecting beyond roof
plate 84.
The other two beams 86 of the roof frame may be
seen in Fig. 2. They are curved upwardly parallel with the
roof ~late. Beams 86 have the same cross-sectional shape and
dimensions as the cross section of tubular frame member 24
visible in FigO 6. The hollow part of beam 86 is arranged in
the same way as the corresponding part of tubular frame member
, . . -- -- -- ,
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25 shown in Fig 7. The upper flange of beam 86 then
projects horizontally towards the opposite beam 86. The
roof plate is riveted to the upper flanges of beams 86', while
the other flanges of beams 86 project vertically downwards.
End wall panels 61', which are curved convexly in a
vertical section parallel with lateral wall panels 21', 41',
have lower horizontal tubular frame members 62 extending over
their entire width and cross-sectionally identical with
tubular frame members 23', 43. Each tubular frame member 62
is bolted at one end to one leg of an angle section 64
arranged internally', the other leg being secured with bolts
65 to one of tubular frame members 23. The other end of each
tubular frame member 62 is similarly bolted', by means of an
angle section', to lower horizontal tubular frame member 43 of
door-free lateral wall panel 41. Each end wall panel 61 also
comprises two frame members 66', the lower ends of which are
each welded to one end of tubular frame member 62. Frame
members 66 are curved and run upwardly along tubular frame
members 24, 44, but not as far as roof 81, only to about
half the height of the cabin. The upper ends of frame members
66 are united by a welded frame member 67. The cross-sectional
shape of frame member 66 is shown in Fig. 5. Frame member 66
has two legs 66a', 66b forming a right angle with each other.
Leg 66a runs parallel with the curved surface of the end wall',
while leg 66b rests upon wall 24b. Leg 66b also has a longi-
tudinal rib 66c which is trapezoidal in cross section and
projects into complementary groove 24d in tubular frame mem'ber
24. Tubular frame members 24 and frame members 66 are detach-
ably connected by means of bolts 68, each of which passes
through a hole 66d in leg 66b and is screwed into a threaded
hole 24h near the bottom of the groove. Secured by means of
rivets 69 to leg 66a of frame member 66 is a plate 70 which
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~:~L5~
has the same curvature as frame mernbers 66', but in a
vertical cross section', of course.
Arranged above frame member 67 is a curved trans-
parent pane 71. The pane is secured by means of a resilient
strip 72 of the same cross-sectional shape as strip 33. As
may be seen in Fig. 6', pane 71 is secured detachably to
flange 24g', by one of its vertical edges', by means of strip
72', the flange being a part of tubular frame member 24 of
lateral wall panel 21. The other vertical edge of the pane
71 is similarly secured to tubular frame member 44 of lateral
wall panel 41. The lower edge of pane 71 is secured to frame
member 67. The upper edge of the said pane is secured
detachably', by means of strip 72, to the downwardly project-
ing flange of roof frame beam 86. Below pane 71, a handle
73 is secured to end wall panel 61', i.e. to frame member 67.
The handle makes it easier for an operator to move a cabin
while it is in a station. Also secured to the tubular frame
members forming the edges of the lateral wall panels running
from bottom to top are rubber buffers 121 which ser~e to
absorb shocks applied to the cabin in the direction o~ travel.
In the case of the cabin described above', therefore,
the edges of floor 1 are secured detachably', by means of bolts
3, 29, 49, to flat vertical lateral wall panels 21, 41. The
upper edges of these walls are secured detachably to roof 81
by means of bolts 85. Lateral wall panels 21, 41 are also
secured detachably', by means of bolts 65, 68, to curved
lateral wall panels 61. Transparent panes 71, pertaining
to end wall panels 61', are also connected detachably', i.e.
insertably, by means of resilient strips 72', in lateral wall
panels 21, 41 and to roof 81. Suspension 101 is also secured
detachably, by means of bolts 106', to the remaining parts of
the cabin. The passenger seats', not shown', inside the cabin
are also secured wit~ bolts.
A cabin thus designed may be transported, in the
~nocked-down condition, to the site of the cable-car system
for which it is intended, the advantage of this being that it
occupies a relatively small transportation space.
As soon as the cabin p~rts reach the site of the
cable-car system, the cabin may be assembled. Floor 1 of
the cabin is first set up horizontally on the ground or upon
a base. Lateral wall ~anels 21, 41 are then set up vertically
one after the other and are secured to the floor with bolts
3, 29, 49. Roof 81 is then placed in position and is bolted
to lateral wall panels 21, 41 with bolts 85. Assembly of each
end wall panel 61 involves first of all bolting the lower part
of the wall panel, consisting of frame members 62, 66, 67,
welded together, and plate 70 riveted thereto, by means of
angle pieces 64, bolts 65 passing therethrough, and bolts 68,
to lateral wall panels 21, 41. Transparent panes 71 are then
inserted and secured, by means of resilient strips 72, to
frame member 67 in the lower part of end wall 61, to beam 86
of roof 81, and to tubular frame members 24, 44 of lateral
wall panels 21, 41.
Door 22 may now be connected to pivot arm 16 of the
door-actuating device. Finally, suspension 101 may be bolted
to the ends of tension bands 2~, 48 projecting beyond roof 81.
Sensing arm 104 must still be connected, with Bowden cable I03,
to the door-actuating device, which is also achieved by
screwed connections. Finally the passenger seats are installed.
Thus assembly of the box constituting the actual
cabin requires merely tightening a few bolts and inserting
transparent panes 71 into resilient strips 72~ None of the
parts ti^ansported to the site require welding~ Even the
connection between the door-actuating device, the door and
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V7~
the sensing arm on the suspension are all plug-in and
screwed connections. The parts of the cabin may thus be
assembled with simple tools, at the site of the cable-car
system, by persons with no special technical knowledgeO
The edges of lateral wall panel 41 consist of a
closed frame made of tubular frame members comprising
longitudinal grooves. The tubular frame members forming
the edges of lateral wall panel 21, and also comprising
longitudinal grooves~, have a break only at the door opening,
and thus almost form a closed frame.
When ~eams 82 of the roof frame are bolted to
tubular frame member 25 of lateral wall panel 21, and to the
corresponding tubular frame member of lateral wall panel 41,
longitudinal ribs ~2c on beams 82 engage in the longitudinal
grooves in the two tubular frame members of the lateral wall
panels. Longitudinal ribs 66c on frame members 66 of end
wall panels 61 engage in longitudinal grooves 24d as tubular
frame members 24, and in the corresponding grooves 24d in
tubular frame members 44~ The longitudinal ribs on angle-
pieces also engage in the longitudinal grooves in the tubularframe members bolted to them~ The trapezoidal ribs and grooves
of the various tubular frame members screwed together in pairs
have a centering action and thus facilitate the bolting
together.
The sides of the complementary ribs and grooves which
engage with each other bear against each other and thus
provide positive joints at right angles to their length and
to the axes of the relevant bolts 68,85. Thus vertical forces
occurring between lateral wall panels 21, 41 and roof 81 are
transferred by the relevant frame members by the said sides
of the ribs and grooves, In a similar manner, forces in the
direction of travel, arising between lateral wall panels 21,
- 13 -
41 and end wall panels 61', are largely transferred by the
curved sides of the ribs and grooves engaging with each
other. Since tubular frame members 26', 44', and frame members
66 are curved along planes running parallel with lateral wall
panels 21', 41', the sides of the ribs and grooves naturally
do not lie in one plane but are curved. The result of this
is that sides of the longitudinal ribs engaging in the
longitudinal grooves can transfer', at least partly', not only
horizontal', but also all forces acting approximately parallel
with lateral wall panels 21', 41. The joints obtained are
therefore highly stable', and bolts 68', 85', by means of which
adjacent frame members are held together', are not stressed
in shear.
It should also be noted that bolted joints may also
be provided with locking means', not shown', such as circlips
and spring washers.
In the example of embodiment; illustrated in the
drawing, end wall panels 61 are so curved that the central
portions thereof project outwardly in a vertical section',
i.e. when the direction of viewing is at right angles to
lateral wall panels 21, 41. However, instead of a constant
curve', the said end wall panels may be angled, with the apex
of the angle projecting outwardlyO In this case, a view of
the cabin corresponding to that in Fig. 1 would be approximate-
ly hexagonal in outlineO Moreover, the said end wall panels
could also be vertical.
The design and attachment of the suspension may also
be varied in several ways. For instance', base 105 may be
arranged under the cabin roof~
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