Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02612331 2007-11-27
AERIAL CABLEWAY
The invention relates to an aerial cableway comprising
means of transportation, such as chairs or gondolas;
comprising two cable loops to which the means of
transportation can be coupled and from which the means
of transportation can be decoupled; and comprising a
lower station, an upper station and a middle station,
wherein in the sectiori from the lower station to the
middle station the lower cable loop is arranged, and
from the middle station to the upper station the upper
cable loop is arranged.
zn generic aerial cableways with two cable loops the
lower cable loop leads from a].ower station (valley
station) to a first middle station (intermediate
station). Furthermore, the upper cable loop then leads
from a second middle station (intermediate station) to
an upper station (top station).
Two middle stations are associated with a disadvantage
in that they require more space and involve greater
expenditure. Fuxthermo.re, noise generation in the case
of twc stations is graater than in the case of only one
station. Therefore, solutions are known in which only a
single cable loop leads from a valley station through
an intermediate station right up to a top station.
However, these solutions are associated with a
disadvantage in that only slight angular deviations of
the top and bottom sections of the cable loop from the
straight position, i.e. 180 , are possible, unless very
high technical expenditure for deflection equipment is
accepted. Solutions compxising only one cable loop are
also associated with a disadvantage in that they
involve long cable lengths with correspondingly high
cable tension and the associated disadvantages of
larger cable cross sections and more expensive support
stxuctures, roller batteries etc. Compared to this,
again, installat-ions comprising two or more cable loops
CA 02612331 2007-11-27
- 2 -
a.re advantageous, in~ which distribution of the cable
length and of the ension path to a corresponding
number of sections is~possible.
it is the object of 1he invention to provide an aerial
cableway that overco es the disadvantages of the state
of the art.
According to the invention, this object is met with an
aerial cableway that comprises the characteristics of
claim 1.
Preferred and advantageous ernboda.ments of the a.eriaJ,
cableway according to the invention form part of the
subordinate claims.
Since in the aerial cableway according to the invention
the lower and the upper cable loops in the middle
station are guided around a shared guide device it is
sufficient to provide merely a single middle station
between the lower station and the upper station.
Passengers can embark and disembark as usual in this
middle station. However, with the invention it ia also
possible to travel in the same means of transportation
from the lower station directly to the upper station,
irrespective as to whether the upper and the lower
cable loops are arranged at an angle of 160 or at some
other angle.
Preferably, the guide device is a double-groove pulley,
wherein in the context of the invention the use of two
single-groove pulleys that are mechanically connected
or coupled is also possible. The simpJ.e design of this
pulley or these pulley is advantageous.
In a particulazly preferred embodiment, the guide
device is arranged so as to be stationary in the middle
CA 02612331 2007-11-27
- 3 -
station, wherein in the lower station and in the upper
station in each case a slidable pulley is provided so
as to ensure the correct tension of the cables of the
cable loops-
In the invention it is further preferred if the pulley
in the middle station comprises a drive. As an
alternative it is, however, also possible for the lower
pulley to comprise a drive, and/or for the upper pulley
to comprise a drive.
Within the scope of the invention it is preferred if in
each case in front of and behind the guide device in
the middle station regions for coupling and decoupling
the means of transportation to/from the cable loops are
provided, and for a transport device for the means of
transportation to be provided between these regions,
which transport device guides the means of
transportation past the guide device. In this way the
means of transportation can be decelerated to a lower
speed when approaching the middle station, at which
station passengers can conveniently leave and enter the
means of transportation, and after departure from the
station the means of transportation can again be
accelerated to a speed that corresponds to the
transport. speed of the means of transportation between
th.e stations, i.e. =to the speed of the cable loops.
Within the scope of the invention, more than two cable
loops in sequence can also be provided.
Further details, characteristics and advantages of the
aerial cableway according to the invention are stated
in the following description with reference to the
associated drawings that show preferred embodiments.
The following are shown:
CA 02612331 2007-11-27
- 4 -
1 a first embodiment of a middle station of an
aerial cableway according to the invention comprising
cable loops arranged at an angle of 90 to each other:
Fig. 2 the middle station in the region of the approach
end or departure and of the means of transportation;
Fig. 3 the middlc station in the region of a support in
the approach region or departure region of the station;
Fig. 4 a detail of an embodiment of the guide device in
the form of two interconnected pulleys; Fig. 5 a second
embodiment of a middle station with cable loops
arranged at an angle of 180 ; and Figs 6 to 8
diagrammatic views of various drive variants of the
aerial cableway according to the invention.
The aerial cableway diagramxnatically shown in Figs 6, 7
and 8 comprises three stations, e.g. a lower station 1
(valley station), a middle station 2 (intermediate
station) and an upper station 3 (top station). In the
section from the lower stata.on 1 to the middle station
2 a lower cable loop 4 is arranged, and in the section
from the middle station 2 to the upper station 3 an
upper cable loop 5 is arranged. For the purpose of
conveying passengers, and where applicable goods, means
of transportation 6, for example chairs or gondolas can
be coupled to and from the cables of the cable loops 4,
in a manner that is known per se. The lower cable
loop 4 and the upper cab].e loop 5 are arranged at an
angle a of 90 in relation to each other.
Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the middle station
2, in which station 2 the lower cable loop 4 and the
upper cable loop 5 come together and are guided around
a shared guide device 7. As shown in Fig. 5, the guide
device 7 can Gomprise two single-groove pulleys that
are mechanically connected or coupZed. A double-groove
pulley is also possible. The guide device or pulley 7
is arranged horizontally and in this position comprises
CA 02612331 2007-11-27
- 5 -
a lower groove 8 and an upper groove 9, wherein the
lower groove 8 is associated with the lower cable loop
4, and the upper groove 9 is associated with the upper
cabl.e loop 5.
In F~g- 1 the cable loops 4 and 5 are guided at a right
angle to each other around the pulley 7. This angle is
only exemplary, because the two cable loops 4 and 5 can
be arranged in the middle station at any desired angle
less than 180 relative to each other, with the aerzal
cableway according to the invention also being usable
with a straight arrangement of the two cable loops,
i.e. at 1800, as shown in Fig. 5. It is understood that
the aerial cableway according to the invention can also
be used if the gradients between the lower cable loop 4
and the upper cable loop 5 differ.
The means of transportation 6 move up and down at a
certain gradient in the direction of the middle station
2, wherein the approach regions and departure regions
of the middle station 2 are arranged so as to be
horizontal, as shown in Figs 1 to 4. For this
horizontal movement, in each case in front of and
behind the guide device 7 in the middle station 2,
regions l0a for coupling and decoupling the means of
transportation 6 are provided in a manner that is known
per se, wherein between these regions a, transport
device IOb for the means of transportation 6 is
provided, wh.zoh transport device 14b guides the means
of transportation 6 at constant low speed around the
guide device 7. Preferably, the transport device 10a,
10b extends so as to be largely parallel beside the
corresponding regions of the cable loops 4, S. Figs 2
and 3 show that the means of transportation 6 during
movement through. the middle station 2 are guided by way
of the transport device 10a, lOb, which extends so as
to be essentially horizontal.
CA 02612331 2007-11-27
- 6 -
when, in the middle station 2, the means of
transportation 6 are decoupled from the cable of the
corresponding cable loop 4, 5, said means of
transportation 6 are decelerated to a low speed, after
which passengers can conveniently leave and enter said
means of transportation 6 while the latter are gua.ded
past the guide device or the pulley 7. Subsequentl,y,
the means of transportation 6 are again accelerated to
a speed that corresponds to the speed of the cables of
the cable loops 4, 5, after which said means of
transportation 6 are again coupled to the cable.
Figs 6 to 8 diagrammatically show an overview of an
aerial cableway with the lower station 7., the middle
station 2, and the upper station 3. In the lower
station 1 a pulley 11 is arranged, and i.n the upper
station 3 a pulley 12 is arranged, which pulleys can be
designed as is known from the state of the art. As
indicated by the double arrows 13, the pulleys 11 and
12 are slidable along the longitudinal extension of the
respective cable loop 4, 5 in order to maintain the
correct cable tension, whereas the guide device 7 in
the middle station is arranged so as to be stationary.
Furthermore, Figs 6=to 8 show different variants for_
driving the aerial cableway. In, Fig. 6 a drive 14 and a
tension device are provided in the lower station 1,
while in Fig. 7 a drive 14 and a tension device are
prov.ided in the upper station 3. If the drive 14 is
located in the lower station. 1(Fig. 6), the lower
cable loop 4 drives the upper cable loop 5 by way of
the guide device or pulley 7 in the middle station 2.
However, if the drive 14 is arranged in the upper
station 3 (Fig. 7), the upper cable loop 5 drives the
lower cable loop 4 by way of the guide device or pulley
7 in the middle station. 2. In a further variant (Fig.
CA 02612331 2007-11-27
_ 7 ,
8) the guide device 7 comprises a drive 14 in the
middle station, wherein in this case both cable loops
4, 5 are driven from the middle station 2.
