Abstract
A cable transportation system comprising: at least a cable; an upstream station and a downstream station between which the cable extends; a plurality of supporting intermediate structures for supporting the cable between the upstream station and the downstream station; a plurality of transporting units coupled above the cable in a configuration suspended in the void and free to swing; an alarm device configured for detecting the contact between the transporting units and the supporting intermediate structures when a threshold tilting angle of the transporting units is exceeded and for emitting a relative alarm signal.
Claims
1. A cable transportation system comprising: a cable; an upstream station; a downstream station; a supporting intermediate structure supporting the cable between the upstream station and the downstream station; a transporting unit coupled to the cable in a configuration free to swing; and an alarm device comprising a string arranged along a plurality of portions of the supporting intermediate structure in a plurality of positions, the alarm device configured to: detect an impact of the string by the transporting unit responsive to the transporting unit exceeding a threshold tilting angle, and emit an alarm signal.
2. The cable transportation system of claim 1, further comprising a control unit, wherein the alarm device is configured to transmit the alarm signal to the control unit and the control unit is configured to issue a stop command responsive to the alarm signal being received.
3. The cable transportation system of claim 1, wherein the string is at least one of electrically fed and stretched to an electrical terminal.
4. The cable transportation system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of supports coupled to the supporting intermediate structure and supporting the string.
5. The cable transportation system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of supports comprise a plurality of eyebolts made of frangible material.
6. The cable transportation system of claim 1, wherein the string is wrapped around a rigid supporting string.
7. The cable transportation system of claim 1, wherein the alarm signal is emitted responsive to at least one of a breaking of the string and a variation of a stretching of the string.
8. The cable transportation system of claim 1, wherein: the transporting unit comprises: a cabin, and a suspending arm having a first lower end coupled to the cabin and a second upper end associated with a coupling device coupled with the cable, the supporting intermediate structure comprises: a vertical pylon having a first end coupled to the ground and a second end, and a cantilever supporting structure laterally extending from the second end of the vertical pylon, wherein the string is coupled to the cantilever supporting structure.
9. The cable transportation system of claim 8, wherein the cantilever supporting structure comprises a platform and the string is coupled to a lower portion of the platform.
10. The cable transportation system of claim 9, wherein the string is coupled to the lower portion of the platform along a zig-zag path configured to cover substantially the entire lower portion of the platform.
11. The cable transportation system of claim 1, wherein: the transporting unit comprises: a chair, and a suspending arm having a first lower end coupled to the chair and a second upper end associated with a coupling device coupled with the cable, the supporting intermediate structure comprises: a vertical pylon having a first end coupled to the ground and a second end, and a cantilever supporting structure laterally extending from the second end of the vertical pylon, wherein the string is coupled to the cantilever supporting structure.
12. The cable transportation system of claim 11, wherein the cantilever supporting structure comprises a platform and the string is coupled to a lower portion of the platform.
13. The cable transportation system of claim 12, wherein the string is coupled to the lower portion of the platform along a zig-zag path configured to cover substantially the entire lower portion of the platform.
14. A cable transportation system comprising: an alarm device comprising a string configured to be arranged along a plurality of portions of the supporting intermediate structure in a plurality of positions, the alarm device configured to: detect an impact of the string by a transporting unit coupled to a cable in a configuration free to swing and a supporting intermediate structure supporting the cable between an upstream station and a downstream station, wherein the impact is detected responsive to the transporting unit exceeding a threshold tilting angle, and emit an alarm signal.
15. The cable transportation system of claim 14, wherein the string is at least one of electrically fed and stretched to an electrical terminal.
16. The cable transportation system of claim 14, wherein the alarm signal is configured to be emitted responsive to at least one of a breaking of the string and a variation of a stretching of the string.
17. A method of operating a cable transportation system, the method comprising: detecting, by an alarm device comprising a string arranged along a plurality of portions of a supporting intermediate structure in a plurality of positions, an impact of the string by a transporting unit coupled to a cable in a configuration free to swing and a supporting intermediate structure supporting the cable between an upstream station and a downstream station, wherein the impact is detected responsive to the transporting unit exceeding a threshold tilting angle, and emitting, by the alarm device, an alarm signal.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Further features and advantages of the present disclosure will become clear from the following description of a non-limiting embodiment thereof, with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein:
(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of the cable transportation system;
(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the part indicated in FIG. 1 with reference II (i.e., a transporting unit in the form of a cabin);
(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the part indicated in FIG. 1 with reference III (i.e., a fixed supporting intermediate structure of the hauling cable in the form of a vertical pylon);
(5) FIG. 4 shows an enlarged schematic view of the detail indicated in FIG. 3 with reference IV (i.e., a portion of the fixed supporting intermediate structure provided with an example of an alarm device according to the present disclosure);
(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the operation of the alarm device in FIG. 4 during an accidental impact of a transporting unit against a portion of a fixed supporting intermediate structure of the system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(7) With reference to the accompany figures, FIG. 1 schematically shows a portion of a cable transportation system globally represented with reference 1. In particular, a cable system is visible in FIG. 1, in which the solution proposed by the present disclosure is integrated, offering considerable advantages in terms of safety. This cable system 1 is of the single-cable type and thus comprises a single cable 2, which serves the dual purpose as a supporting cable and a hauling cable. This cable 2 is sent back in a ring by two pulleys, including a motorized one, between two terminal stations, in particular, an upstream station (not shown) and a downstream station 3, thus identifying an ascent branch and a descent branch. The arrows A and B in FIG. 1 indicate the advancing directions of the ascent and descent branches of the cable 2. One of the multiple transporting units 4 usually present in a system of this type along both the ascent and descent branches of the cable is represented in FIG. 2. In particular, a first transporting unit 4 is located at the downstream station 3. Usually, inside the stations, the transporting units 4 unclamp from the cable 2 in order to be able to advance more slowly (and enable the passengers to board and to alight relatively easily) without reducing the travelling speed of the line between one station and another. The second transporting unit 4 shown is travelling along the ascent branch of the cable 2 and it is arranged between the downstream station 3 and a first fixed supporting intermediate structure 5 arranged along the route to divide the cable 2 into spans. Although both the transporting unit 4 and the fixed supporting intermediate structure 5 will be the subject of the description of FIGS. 2 and 3, in FIG. 1 it is already possible to appreciate how the transporting unit 4 in the example shown comprises a cabin 6 at the bottom and a supporting arm 7 (said suspension) at the top, which connects it to the cable 2. As can be seen in FIG. 2 the cabins 6 (at least in the section outside the stations) are suspended in the void, not resting at the bottom on any lower structure and thus, by virtue of the fact of being coupled, at the top, to the cable 2, they may be subject to rolling movements around the axis of the cable 2, for example, due to the effect of crosswind, as well as to longitudinal pitching movements. The device, which connects the supporting arm 7 to the cable 2, is schematically shown with reference 8 in FIG. 1. Such device can comprise a releasable clamp and/or at least one roller (if the system is of the two-cables type with the roller coupled to the supporting cable). Finally, it is possible to note how, in FIG. 1, the fixed supporting intermediate structure 5 comprises a vertical pylon at the top of which a row of rollers 10 is present for supporting the cable 2.
(8) As said previously, FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the part indicated in FIG. 1 with reference II (i.e., a transporting unit 4 comprising a relative cabin 6). In particular, FIG. 2 shows a front view of the unit 4 along the axis of the cable 2. As can be seen, the unit 4 comprises a cabin 6 provided with a floor or a bottom 11, a roof 12, and side walls 13. At one side of the side walls 13 there is a movable door (not shown), a step 14 for helping passengers to enter and exit and receptacles 15, in which objects, such as skis 16, rackets or other can be placed. The unit 4 further comprises a supporting arm 7 (said suspension) having a first lower end 17 coupled to the roof 12 of the cabin 6 by an intermediate frame, and an upper end 18 provided with a clamp 19 for releasable coupling to the cable 2. The clamping mechanism is of the type known and comprises a spring 20 and an actuation lever 21, which is moved in the station, by specially shaped guides, to overcome the force of the spring 20 and release the cable 2 from the clamp 19. As can be seen, the bottom 11 of the cabin 6, not resting on any guiding or supporting structure, is suspended in the void and thus, due to its coupling to the cable 2 placed at the top of the roof 12, the cabin 6 can swing (for example, rolling, schematized with R in FIG. 2, around the axis defined by the cable 2). In particular, this rolling R can be generated by the presence of a lateral force (schematized with F in FIG. 2) for example, due to the presence of wind. Thus, it is possible that, in some circumstances, the cabin 6 is in a tilted position, occupying a lateral volume greater than the volume shown in FIG. 1, where no lateral force F is present.
(9) As said previously, FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the part indicated in FIG. 1 with reference III (i.e., a fixed supporting intermediate structure for the cable 2 comprising a pylon 9). In particular, FIG. 3 substantially shows the upper half of this pylon 9 and allows us to appreciate how the rollers 10, mentioned previously, are supported by this structure 5. The upper end of the pylon 9 comprises two cantilever supporting structures 22 that extend symmetrically to the pylon 9 in a cantilever fashion. Each external end of these cantilever structures 22 supports a double row of rollers 10, 10′ overlapping each other, creating a passage for the ascent and descent branches of the cable 2. These cantilever structures 22 also comprise a walkway 23 and a platform 24 to enable the inspection of the rollers 10, 10′. It is possible to access this walkway 23 and platform 24, for example, by a ladder 25, which runs along the pylon 9. FIG. 3 shows an illustration in which crosswind does not act against the cabins 6, which are, in fact, in a non-tilted position. However, as regards the description with reference to FIG. 2 (which can also be applied to systems with supporting cables), with crosswind F, the cabins 6 roll around the axis of the cable 2 and can also exceed a limit tilting angle at which they collide against the lower wall of the platform 24. FIG. 4 shows an enlargement of the detail indicated in FIG. 3 with reference IV and in which an embodiment of the alarm device of the present disclosure is visible, configured for detecting the impact between the transporting unit 4 and the fixed structure 5.
(10) Thus, FIG. 4 shows a portion of the two superimposed rows of rollers 10 10′, inside which the cable 2 passes, and a portion of the platform 24. In FIG. 4 the platform 24 is made by a series of stairs or steps 25 fixed to a common bracket 26 substantially parallel to the rows of rollers 10 10′. Each step 25 is also provided with a protective railing 27. The brackets indicated in FIG. 4, such as reference 28, represent the bracings of the cantilever structure 22, which connects the rollers to the pylon 9, while reference A indicates the advancing direction of the cable 2 (and thus, the advancing direction of the transporting units 4). According to the example shown, an electric string 29 or a string/cable electrically/electronically connected to the system's surveillance system 1 is arranged along the lower surface of the first step 25, on the side of the bracket 28 and the support 26. In particular, the string 29 is configured for emitting and transmitting an alarm signal in case of being cut or if there is a variation in the stretching with respect to the initial stretching. The arrangement of this electric string 29 is not random. In fact, this string runs right along the portions, which can come into contact with portions of the cabin 6, in a tilted position, due to relatively strong gusts of wind. This unlucky case is shown in FIG. 5 where it is possible to note how, in case of relatively strong wind (i.e., a wind such as to tilt the cabins 6 beyond a limit angle), a portion of the intermediate frame 12 comes into contact with the string 29, thus generating an alarm signal. This alarm can be managed in various ways and, depending on the devices used, the signal can comprise various information. For example, the alarm signal can be sent to a specific control unit, which commands the immediate stopping of the system 1. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the string 29 is supported by special eyebolts 30.
(11) Finally, changes and variations can clearly be made to the disclosure described herein, without departing from the scope of the accompanying claims. Accordingly, various changes and modifications to the presently disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
