Cableway Vehicle Having Crossing Apparatus

Abstract

A cableway vehicle having crossing apparatus is provided. In order to enable easier access to an access unit of a cableway support of a cableway, a crossover apparatus for the crossing-over of persons from the cableway vehicle to the access unit of the cableway support is provided on the cableway vehicle, the crossover apparatus being displaceable relative to the cableway vehicle between a stowage position in which the crossover apparatus is stowed on the cableway vehicle and a deployed position intended for carrying out the crossover, wherein a fastening section is provided on the crossover apparatus to releasably couple the crossover apparatus to the access unit of the cableway support in the deployed position.

Claims

1. A cableway vehicle for a cableway, comprising: a crossover apparatus on the cableway vehicle for the crossover of persons from the cableway vehicle to an access unit of a cableway support of the cableway, the crossover apparatus being displaceable relative to the cableway vehicle between a stowage position in which the crossover apparatus is stowed on the cableway vehicle and a deployed position intended for carrying out the crossover, wherein a fastening section is provided on the crossover apparatus to releasably couple the crossover apparatus to the access unit of the cableway support in the deployed position.

2. A cableway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a vehicle-mounted holding device is provided on the cableway vehicle in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus in the stowage position to the cableway vehicle means of the fastening section.

3. A cableway vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the cableway vehicle is designed as a maintenance vehicle, wherein an access platform for persons is provided in an upper region of the cableway vehicle and the vehicle-mounted holding device is arranged on the access platform.

4. The cableway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a locking unit is provided on the fastening section the crossover apparatus in order to lock the crossover apparatus in the deployed position on the access unit and/or in the stowage position on the cableway vehicle.

5. The cableway vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the locking unit has at least one locking element, the locking element being preloaded by at least one preload element.

6. The cableway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the crossover apparatus has at least one step element and/or holding element for a person to step on and/or to hold onto.

7. The cableway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a length of the crossover apparatus can be changed in order to adapt the length of the crossover apparatus to a variable distance between the access unit and the cableway vehicle.

8. The cableway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the crossover apparatus is formed as a single piece, or the crossover apparatus has a crossover unit on which at least one fastening element is fastened, the fastening section being provided on the fastening element.

9. The cableway vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the crossover unit is designed as a ladder.

10. The cableway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least one sensor for generating a sensor signal dependent on a state of the crossover apparatus and at least one alarm unit for generating an acoustic alarm dependent on the sensor signal obtained from the sensor are provided on the cableway vehicle.

11. The cableway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the crossover apparatus is designed to enable a relative movement between the crossover apparatus and the cableway vehicle in the deployed position in the coupled state on the access unit.

12. The cableway comprising at least one cableway support for guiding a conveying cable of the cableway and comprising at least one cableway vehicle arranged on the conveying cable, wherein an access unit is provided on the cableway support for the access of persons, wherein the cableway vehicle is designed according to claims 1.

13. The cableway according to claim 12, wherein a support-mounted holding device is provided on the access unit in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus to the access unit by the fastening section in the deployed position,

14. The cableway according to claim 12, wherein at least one sensor for generating a sensor signal dependent on a state of the crossover apparatus is provided on the cableway support and/or on the cableway vehicle and that at least one alarm unit for generating an acoustic alarm dependent on the sensor signal obtained from the sensor is provided in the cableway.

15. The cableway according to claim 14, wherein the cableway has a control unit for controlling a drive of the cableway, the control unit being configured to control the drive of the cableway dependent on the sensor signal obtained from the sensor.

16. A method for carrying out a crossover of a person from a cableway vehicle of a cableway to an access unit of a cableway support of the cableway, wherein the cableway vehicle is moved into a crossover position in the region of the access unit, a crossover apparatus provided on the cableway vehicle is moved from a stowage position in which the crossover apparatus is stowed on the cableway vehicle into a deployed position for carrying out the crossover, a fastening section of the crossover apparatus is releasably coupled to the access unit, and the person crosses over from the cableway vehicle to the access unit via the crossover apparatus.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the crossover apparatus is locked to the access unit in the deployed position by a locking unit.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein an acoustic alarm is triggered if the cableway vehicle is moved in the coupled state of the crossover apparatus on the access unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In the following, the present invention is described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, which, by way of example, show schematic and non-limiting advantageous embodiments of the invention. The drawings show:

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a cableway vehicle with a crossover apparatus in the coupled state on an access unit of a cableway support;

[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a cableway vehicle with a crossover apparatus in the stowage position; and

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a detail view of the upper region of the crossover apparatus in the coupled state on an access unit of a cableway support.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a cableway support 1 of a cableway 2 with a roller set 3 and an access unit 4. The structure of such a cableway 2 is known in principle, which is why only the components essential for the invention are described here. The roller set 3 has a number of rollers 5 arranged one behind the other, on which a conveyor cable 6 of the cableway 2 is guided. The roller set 3 is attached to the cableway support 1 in order to support the load on the conveyor cable 6, and in particular the cableway vehicle 7 arranged thereon, via the cableway support 1 on the ground. Multiple cableway vehicles 7 are usually suspended at a certain distance from one another on the conveyor cable 6. A cableway vehicle 7 can be fastened, for example, to the conveyor cable 6 as shown by means of a releasable clamping mechanism 8, in order to allow decoupling of the cableway vehicle 7 from the conveyor cable 6 at a station.

[0026] The decoupling can take place, for example, in order to reduce speed while traveling through the station in order to enable easier entry and exit of people. However, decoupling can also take place after a cableway has closed, for example, in order to park the cableway vehicle outside operating hours, for example in a suitable garage. Of course, a non-decouplable connection of the cableway vehicle 7 to the conveyor cable 6 would also be possible. In the example shown, the cableway vehicle 7 is designed as a maintenance vehicle which is used for maintenance of the cableway 2. A maintenance vehicle usually has an at least partially open cabin, so that the maintenance vehicle can be exited by a person to perform maintenance. The cabin of the maintenance vehicle can have, for example, a metal frame with a closed base and partially closed side surfaces.

[0027] The access unit 4 of the cableway support 1 is designed in this case as a stairway with a plurality of steps 11, and can be used, for example, for carrying out maintenance work on the roller set 3 or on other parts of the cableway support 1. Due to the design, however, the roller set 3 is generally accessible from the access unit 4 only on one side - from the inner side facing the cableway support 1. The opposite outer side of the roller set 3 cannot be reached from the access unit 4, or can only be reached with difficulty. In the embodiment shown, the maintenance vehicle therefore also has an inspection platform 10 which is arranged in an upper region of the maintenance vehicle. The inspection platform 10 is accessible from the cabin via a ladder 9, which is generally fixed in place. As a result, a person can climb from the cabin onto the inspection platform 10 via the ladder 9, for example in order to carry out certain maintenance activities on the outer side of the roller set 3.

[0028] The access unit 4 can be fastened to the roller set 3 and/or to the cableway support 1 itself. In the example shown, a railing 12 is additionally provided on the steps 11 in order to increase safety for people when using the access unit 4. Of course, this is only an example, and the access unit 4 could also be constructed in any other way and, for example, could have only one platform with or without a railing 12. If the cableway support 1 is designed as a framework construction, the access unit 4 could for example also be directly a part of the cableway support 1.

[0029] A maintenance ladder 13 is indicated schematically on the cableway support 1, and persons, in particular maintenance personnel, can climb up from the ground to the access unit 4 via this ladder. Of course, such a maintenance ladder 13 can also have additional safety elements, for example a type of cage, in order to secure people against falling down. Until now, entry to the access unit 4 has essentially only taken place via such maintenance ladders 13. It can be seen immediately that entry via the maintenance ladder 13 is very strenuous and time-consuming, in particular in the case of very high cableway supports 1, which is of course disadvantageous. In addition, there is the additional difficulty that cableway supports 1 are often arranged in impassable, for example steep, rocky terrain, whereby even reaching the cableway support 1 on the ground is very difficult. In addition, when using a maintenance ladder 13, a person is restricted with regard to baggage such as tools.

[0030] In order to facilitate the access of persons to the access unit 4, according to the invention a crossover apparatus 14 for the crossover of persons from the cableway vehicle 7 to the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1 of the cableway 2 is provided on the cableway vehicle 7. The crossover apparatus 14 is displaceable relative to the cableway vehicle 7 between a stowage position (FIG. 2), in which the crossover apparatus 14 is stowed on the cableway vehicle 7 and a deployed position shown in FIG. 1, which is provided for carrying out the crossover. A fastening section 15 is provided on the crossover apparatus 14 in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus 14 to the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1 in the deployed position. For this purpose, a suitable support-mounted holding device 16 is preferably also provided on the access unit 4, and corresponds to the fastening section 15 in a suitable manner. The fastening section 15 is preferably designed in such a way that a connection to the access unit 4 that is as stable as possible and that is essentially positive-locking at least on one side, can be achieved. For this purpose, the fastening section 15 can have, for example, at least one receiving opening 20 for receiving a section of the access unit 4, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0031] In an advantageous manner, the crossover apparatus 14 is also designed such that a certain relative movement between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 is possible in the deployed position on the access unit 4 in the coupled state. As a result, it can be ensured that the crossover apparatus 14 remains coupled to the access unit 4 even in the case of swinging movements of the cableway vehicle 7, and does not become detached from the access unit 4 due to the oscillations of the cableway vehicle 7. As a result of the design, oscillations or swinging movements of the cableway vehicle 7 often occur during operation of the cableway 2. Lateral swinging results, for example, from the fact that the cableway vehicle 7 is suspended on the conveyor cable 6 and the conveyor cable 6 serves essentially as an axis of rotation. In the direction of movement, for example, braking and acceleration processes can produce forward and backward swinging. It may also be desirable to allow certain degrees of freedom in the swinging movements. In order to enable this, for example one or more pivot joints can be provided on the suspension gear of the cableway vehicle 7, for example on a cable clamp with which the cableway vehicle 7 is fixedly or releasably fastened to the conveyor cable 6. Due to the comparatively low mass of a cableway vehicle 7, oscillations which are caused for example by wind forces acting on the cableway vehicle 7 and/or by weight displacement of persons in the cableway vehicle 7 can be relatively easily excited or amplified.

[0032] For this purpose, the cableway vehicle 7 is moved into a crossover position sufficiently close to the access unit 4 and stopped. A person positioned on the cableway vehicle 7 can then manually displace the crossover apparatus 14 from the stowage position into the deployed position and releasably couple the fastening section 15 of the crossover apparatus 14 to the access unit 4, in particular to the support-mounted holding device 16 arranged thereon. After the coupling, the person can cross over to the access unit 4 from the cableway vehicle 7 via the crossover apparatus 14, for example in order to carry out maintenance work on the roller set 3. Since the cableway vehicle 7 can be subjected to certain vibrations as described, for example by the movement of the persons in the cableway vehicle 7, it is advantageous if a certain relative movement is possible between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 in the coupled state on the access unit 4. However, the maximum permissible relative movement should not be too large, so that the crossover apparatus 14 does not completely detach from the cableway vehicle 7. The degree of freedom of the relative movement could be limited, for example, by a stop (not shown) and/or by a cable (not shown) which connects the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7. At the end of work, the person can return to the cableway vehicle 7 via the crossover apparatus 14 from the access unit 4. The crossover apparatus 14 can then be released from the access unit 4 and moved back from the deployed position into the stowage position, and the cableway vehicle 7 can be moved again, for example to the next cableway support 1, in order to carry out maintenance work there as well.

[0033] In order to increase safety, it can be advantageous if a locking unit 21 is provided on the fastening section 15 of the crossover apparatus 14 in order to lock the crossover apparatus 14, in particular the support-mounted holding device 16 provided thereon, in the deployed position on the access unit 4. As a result, the crossover apparatus 14 can be secured against undesired release. The crossover apparatus 14 preferably has at least one step element and/or holding element 17 for a person to step onto and/or to hold onto. Preferably, a plurality of holding elements 17 is of course provided. It can also be advantageous if a length of the crossover apparatus 14 can be changed in order to adapt the length of the crossover apparatus 14 to a variable distance between the access unit 4 and the cableway vehicle 7. As a result, it is not necessary for the positioning of the cableway vehicle 7 in the crossover position in the region of the access unit 4 to take place very precisely; instead, the length of the crossover apparatus 14 can be easily adjusted and adapted to the distance in question. In the example shown, the crossover apparatus 14 is designed in multiple parts, having a crossover unit 14a on the end of which two fastening elements 15a are arranged, on which the fastening section 15 is provided. The crossover unit 14a can advantageously be designed as a ladder, as in the example shown. For adapting the length, for example, a telescopic ladder can be provided as a crossover unit 14a.

[0034] Only the cableway vehicle 7 is shown in FIG. 2; the conveyor cable 6 and the cableway support 1, including the access unit 4, are not shown for reasons of better clarity. The crossover apparatus 14 is shown here in the stowage position, in which the crossover apparatus 14 is stowed on the cableway vehicle 7. For the operation of the cableway 2, i.e., during the movement of the cableway vehicle 7, the crossover apparatus 14 is preferably in the stowed position shown, and is preferably secured against undesired release on the cableway vehicle 7. For this purpose, a vehicle-mounted holding device 18 can also be provided on the cableway vehicle 7 in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus 14 to the cableway vehicle 7 in the stowage position by means of the fastening section 15. If a locking unit 21 is provided on the crossover apparatus 14, the locking unit 21 can also be used to lock the crossover apparatus 14 in the stowage position on the cableway vehicle 7, in particular on the vehicle-mounted holding device 18 provided thereon. As a result, the crossover apparatus 14 is secured against undesired release during the movement of the cableway vehicle 7.

[0035] An access platform 19 can advantageously be provided on an upper region of the cableway vehicle 7. In this case, the vehicle-mounted holding device 18 is advantageously arranged on the access platform 19. In the example shown, the vehicle-mounted holding device 18 has two holding elements 18a which are fastened to the access platform 19 and project beyond the edge of the access platform 19. The two holding elements 18a are connected to a holding rod 18b. In the stowage position shown, the crossover apparatus 14 can be hooked over the holding rod 18b by means of the fastening section 15 in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus 14 to the vehicle-mounted holding device 18.

[0036] In the stowage position, the crossover apparatus 14 can also be used, for example, to reach the access platform 19 from the cabin of the cableway vehicle 7. In the case shown, for example, a first person can climb up to the inspection platform 10 via the ladder 9, and a second person can climb up to the access platform 19 via the crossover apparatus 14. For example, the second person, on the access platform 19, can support the first person on the platform 10 during an inspection of the roller set 3. Of course, a corresponding distance is provided between the access platform 19 and the holding rod 18b for this purpose, which distance is sufficiently large for a person to be able to climb up from the cabin to the access platform 19 via the crossover apparatus 14.

[0037] The crossover apparatus 14 can thus also be used for other things than crossing over of a person to the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1. For example, the cableway vehicle 7 could initially be moved into the crossover position near the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1, and a first person could cross over to the access unit 4 via the crossover apparatus 14. A second person could then move the crossover apparatus 14 back into the stowage position (while the first person is positioned on the access unit 4). The cableway vehicle 7 could then be moved further into a position in which the inspection platform 10 of the cableway vehicle 7 is positioned transverse to the movement direction relative to the access unit 4 of the cableway support 1. As such, the second person could perform maintenance work on the outer side of the roller set 3, and the first person could perform maintenance work on the inner side of the roller set 3.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a detail view of the upper region of the crossover apparatus 14 in the deployed position in the coupled state on the access unit 4. For a better overview, the remaining components (conveyor cable 6, cableway vehicle 7, cableway support 1) are not shown. In the example shown, a support-mounted holding device 16 is provided on the access unit 4. The support-mounted holding device 16 in this case has two fastening brackets 16a, which are fastened laterally to the lowermost step 11 of the access unit 4. The fastening brackets 16a could, of course, also be integrally formed with the access unit 4. In order to be able to easily retrofit the support-mounted holding device 16 to an existing access unit 4, it is advantageous, however, if it is designed as an independent assembly. The fastening brackets 16a are connected to a connecting rod 16b on which the fastening section 15 of the crossover apparatus 14 is arranged in order to releasably couple the crossover apparatus 14 to the access unit 4.

[0039] As described, the crossover apparatus 14 in this case comprises a crossover unit 14a designed as a ladder and two separate fastening elements 15a, which are each fastened laterally at the upper end of the ladders. The fastening section 15 of the crossover apparatus 14 is thus formed on the two fastening elements 15a. As a result, for example, a conventional, commercially available ladder can be used as the crossover unit 14a, wherein the ladder is preferably made of a light, weather-resistant material with sufficient strength, for example aluminum. Of course, the crossover apparatus 14 could also be formed as a single piece with an integral fastening section 15. The use of a ladder and at least one separate fastening element 15a, on which the fastening section 15 is formed, however, has the advantage that the ladder can easily be replaced, for example in the event of damage, and/or that ladders of different lengths can be used.

[0040] In the embodiment shown, the two fastening elements 15a each have a downwardly open receiving opening 20, by means of which the crossover apparatus 14 can be hooked over the connecting rod 16b of the support-mounted holding device 16 in the deployed position (and analogously on the vehicle-mounted holding device 18 in the stowage position). The receiving openings 20 are preferably sized such that the connecting rod 16b is substantially surrounded in the shape of the letter U by the fastening elements 15a. In order to secure the crossover apparatus 14 against undesired release from the access unit 4, it is advantageous, as already mentioned, if a locking unit 21 is provided on the fastening section 15. In the example shown, a locking element 21a is provided on each of the fastening elements 15a, and is connected in an articulated manner at a pivot point P on each side to the respective fastening elements 15a.

[0041] As a result, the locking elements 21a can be pivoted upward by the connecting rod 16b when the connecting rod 16b is inserted into the receiving openings 20. After the connecting rod 16b has been inserted sufficiently far into the receiving openings 20, the locking elements 21a automatically pivot downwards due to gravity. The free end of the locking elements 21a then rests on an inner surface of the receiving openings 20 opposite the pivot point P, and closes off the open side of the receiving openings 20 from the inside, in a manner similar to a carabiner. The crossover apparatus 14 can thus no longer be unintentionally released from the connecting rod 16b. Safety can be further increased if the locking elements 21a are each preloaded by means of a suitable preload element (not shown), for example a mechanical spring, in the direction of the inner surface of the receiving openings 20 opposite the pivot point P.

[0042] To unlock the locking unit 21, the locking elements 21a can be pivoted sufficiently far upward against the force of gravity (and possibly counter to the preload force of the preload elements), such that the connecting rod 16b can be moved out of the receiving openings 20 through the open sides of the receiving openings 20 when the crossover apparatus 14 is lifted. The locking elements 21a can be actuated manually by a person, for example, from the access platform 19. However, a suitable actuating device (not shown) could also be provided in order to pivot the locking elements 21a to unlock the locking unit 21, for example from the cabin of the cableway vehicle 7. As an actuating device, for example, a suitable cable pull could be used, which can, for example, also be arranged inside an upright tube of the ladder. In general, it may also be sufficient for a locking element 21a to be provided only on one of the fastening elements 15a. Of course, the illustrated embodiment of the crossover apparatus 14 is to be understood only by way of example, and the person skilled in the art could also provide other suitable structural designs.

[0043] Preferably, at least one (not shown) sensor is provided on the cableway vehicle 7 and/or on the cableway support 1 in order to generate a sensor signal dependent on a state of the crossover apparatus 14, and at least one alarm unit (not shown) is provided on the cableway support 1 and/or on the cableway vehicle 7 for generating a preferably acoustic alarm dependent on the sensor signal obtained from the sensor. As a result, an alarm can be triggered, for example, if the crossover apparatus 14 is positioned on the access unit 4 in the deployed position in the coupled state and the cableway vehicle 7 begins to move. For example, the sensor could be designed to detect a relative movement or a relative distance between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 as the state of the crossover apparatus 14. When a relative movement occurs or when a certain relative distance between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 is reached or exceeded, a sensor signal can be generated by the sensor, as a result of which the alarm unit triggers an alarm. The generation of a sensor signal is naturally also understood to mean an interruption of a signal.

[0044] In a simple embodiment, for example, a known contact switch could be provided as a sensor, which generates a sensor signal when a contact of the contact switch is interrupted. The interruption of the contact can take place, for example, when a certain relative distance between the crossover apparatus 14 and a component of the cableway vehicle 7 is exceeded, as a result of which an alarm is triggered by the alarm unit. When the alarm is triggered, the operator of the cableway 2 can react, and, for example, can stop the movement of the cableway vehicle 7. It would be conceivable, for example, to provide a first contact element of the contact switch on the crossover apparatus 14 and a second contact element of the contact switch on a component of the cableway vehicle 7, for example on the vehicle-mounted holding device 18, which contact element is in electrical contact during normal operation.

[0045] As long as the relative distance between the crossover apparatus 14 and the cableway vehicle 7 is less than a certain trigger distance, the contact between the contact elements will be preserved. If the release distance is reached or exceeded, the contact between the contact elements will be interrupted. The interruption of the electrical contact thus corresponds to the generation of the sensor signal. The alarm unit consequently triggers the alarm when the contact is interrupted. In order to further increase safety, the cableway 2 could also have a control unit for controlling a drive of the cableway 2, which control unit is provided to control the drive of the cableway according to the sensor signal obtained from the sensor. As a result, the drive of the cableway 2 can be automatically stopped when the sensor signal is received, for example, without an operator of the cableway 2 having to stop the cableway 2 in response to the alarm signal.

[0046] Finally, it should be noted again that the described embodiments are only to be understood as examples and are not restrictive. In addition to the embodiments shown, further variants would of course also be conceivable, which are at the discretion of the person skilled in the art. For example, a person skilled in the art can adapt the invention to the specific conditions of a cableway, for example to different forms of cableway supports 1, access units 4, etc.