Trolley for cable transportation system transportation units and depot for transportation units comprising such a trolley

Abstract

A trolley for a cable transportation system transportation unit extends along a longitudinal axis and comprises a frame; a clamp supported by the frame and configured to connect the trolley to a cable; and a first and second guide which are mounted and project on opposite sides of the clamp, taper towards their respective free ends, and have respective bottom faces configured to contact the cable and respective top faces configured to define a support for at least one roller; and wherein the bottom face of the second guide comprises a first and a second portion and the second portion located at the free end and sloping upwards with respect to the first portion.

Claims

1. A cable transportation system transportation unit trolley comprising: a frame; a clamp supported by the frame and configured to be connected to a cable; a first guide mounted on and projecting from a first side of the clamp, said first guide including a straight bottom face extending in a first direction parallel to a longitudinal axis and configured to contact the cable; and a second guide mounted on and projecting from a second, opposite side of the clamp, said second guide including a bottom face which includes: a first straight bottom face portion adjacent to the clamp and extending in a second direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, said first straight bottom face portion configured to contact the cable, and a second bottom face portion located at a free end of the second guide, said second bottom face portion sloping upwards with respect to the first bottom face portion.

2. The cable transportation system transportation unit trolley of claim 1, wherein a portion of said first guide tapers toward a free end of the first guide.

3. The cable transportation system transportation unit trolley of claim 2, wherein a portion of said second guide tapers toward the free end of the second guide.

4. The cable transportation system transportation unit trolley of claim 1, wherein the first guide and the second guide are each made of a polymer material.

5. The cable transportation system transportation unit trolley of claim 1, wherein the first guide and the second guide are each made of an elastically deformable material.

6. The cable transportation system transportation unit trolley of claim 1, wherein the second guide includes an end portion bent upwards to define the second bottom face portion of the second guide.

7. The cable transportation system transportation unit trolley of claim 1, wherein the first direction comprises a direction of travel.

8. The cable transportation system transportation unit trolley of claim 7, wherein the second direction comprises an opposite direction to the direction of travel.

9. The cable transportation system transportation unit trolley of claim 1, wherein the second guide is configured to enable the first guide of another cable transportation system transportation unit trolley to fit beneath the second bottom face portion of the second guide, said other cable transportation system transportation unit trolley being adjacent to and aligned with the cable transportation system transportation unit trolley along the longitudinal axis.

10. A cable transportation system transportation unit comprising: a trolley including: a frame, a clamp supported by the frame and configured to be connected to a cable, a first guide mounted on and projecting from a first side of the clamp, said first guide including a straight bottom face extending in a first direction parallel to a longitudinal axis and configured to contact the cable, a second guide mounted on and projecting from a second, opposite side of the clamp, said second guide including a bottom face which includes: a first straight bottom face portion adjacent to the clamp and extending in a second direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, said first straight bottom face portion configured to contact the cable, and a second bottom face portion located at a free end of the second guide, said second bottom face portion sloping upwards with respect to the first bottom face portion; and one of a chair and a car suspended from the trolley.

11. The cable transportation system transportation unit of claim 10, wherein a portion of said first guide of the trolley tapers toward a free end of the first guide.

12. The cable transportation system transportation unit of claim 11, wherein a portion of said second guide of the trolley tapers toward the free end of the second guide.

13. A cable transportation system transportation unit depot comprising: at least one straight track; and a plurality of transportation units aligned along the at least one straight track, wherein a distance, parallel to a longitudinal axis, between two of the transportation units is less than a maximum length, parallel to the longitudinal axis, of each of the two transportation units, each transportation unit including: a trolley including: a frame; a clamp supported by the frame and configured to be connected to a cable; a first guide mounted on and projecting from a first side of the clamp, said first guide including a straight bottom face extending in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and configured to contact the cable; a second guide mounted on and projecting from a second, opposite side of the clamp, said second guide including a bottom face which includes: a first straight bottom face portion adjacent to the clamp and extending in a second direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, said first straight bottom face portion configured to contact the cable, and a second bottom face portion located at a free end of the second guide, said second bottom face portion sloping upwards with respect to the first bottom face portion, and one of a chair and a car suspended from the trolley.

14. The cable transportation system transportation unit depot of claim 13, wherein for each transportation unit, a portion of said first guide of the trolley tapers toward a free end of the first guide.

15. The cable transportation system transportation unit depot of claim 14, wherein for each transportation unit, a portion of said second guide of the trolley tapers toward the free end of the second guide.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will appear clear from the following description of a non-limiting implementation example thereof, with reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a lateral elevation view, with parts removed for clarity, of a depot of a cable transportation system and transportation units provided with trolleys according to the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 is a lateral elevation view, on an enlarged scale and with parts removed for clarity, of a detail of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is an elevation view, with parts removed for clarity and on an enlarged scale, of the depot and of a transportation unit illustrated in FIG. 1;

(5) FIGS. 4 and 5 are elevation views, with parts removed for clarity, of a detail of the transportation unit of FIG. 3; and

(6) FIG. 6 is a lateral elevation view, with parts removed for clarity, of the depot of FIG. 1 in which the transportation units are arranged at a reduced pitch.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Referring now to the example embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, with reference to FIG. 1, the number 1 indicates as a whole a depot of a cable transportation system.

(8) The depot 1 comprises a straight track 2, in this case defined by two parallel rails 3 and 4, and configured to support transportation units 5 of the cable transportation system during the storage period. To simplify illustration of the depot 1, the case illustrated shows one single track 2 of the depot 1, it being understood that the depot 1 can comprise a plurality of tracks, generally parallel to one another. Each transportation unit 5 comprises a trolley 6; and a chair or a car (not illustrated in the drawings) configured to be suspended from the trolley 6. Each trolley 6 extends along a longitudinal axis A1 parallel to the direction of travel D of the trolley 6 and comprises a frame 7 and a clamp 8 supported by the frame 7 and configured to connect the trolley 6 to a cable 9 (as illustrated by the broken lines in FIGS. 4 and 5).

(9) As better illustrated in FIG. 3, the trolley 6 comprises rollers 10 mounted on the frame 7 to roll along the rails 3 and 4. The clamp 8 comprises two jaws 11 and 12 which can be operated between a closed position (illustrated in the drawings) and an open position (not illustrated in the drawings) utilizing respective arms 13 and 14, a spring 15 and a roller 16 configured to cooperate with a cam (not illustrated in the drawings). It should be appreciated that in certain embodiments, the jaw 11 is fixed, whereas the jaw 12 is mobile. The jaws 11 and 12 define an opening facing downwards both in the open position and in the closed position.

(10) With reference to FIG. 1, the trolley 6 comprises two guides 17 and 18, which are mounted projecting from opposite sides of the clamp 8 and tapered towards the respective free ends. The guides 17 and 18 are substantially parallel to the axis A1. In particular, the guide 17 extends from the clamp 8 in the direction of travel of the trolley 6, while the guide 18 extends in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the trolley 6.

(11) The guides 17 and 18 are fixed to the fixed jaw 11. The guides 17 and 18 are particularly relatively long and are substantially of equal length. The distance between opposite ends of the guides 17 and 18 defines the maximum size of the trolley 6 parallel to the direction of travel D. In the case of the present disclosure, the guides 17 and 18 also define the maximum size in the direction of travel D of the entire transportation unit 5.

(12) The guides 17 and 18 have respective bottom faces 19 and 20 configured to be arranged in contact with the cable 9 (illustrated by broken lines in FIGS. 4 and 5), and respective top faces 21 and 22 configured to define respective supports for a roller unit of which a roller 23 is illustrated by broken lines in FIGS. 4 and 5.

(13) The bottom face 19 of the guide 17 is straight and substantially parallel to the axis A1 and, in use, to the cable 9 (FIG. 5). The bottom face 20 of the guide 18 has two portions 24 and 25 characterised by a different inclination with respect to the axis A1. The portion 24 is adjacent to the clamp 8 and is substantially parallel to the axis A1 and, in use, to the cable 9 (FIG. 4), while the portion 25 is an end portion adjacent to the portion 24 and inclined upwards with respect to the portion 24 as better illustrated in FIG. 2.

(14) In the case illustrated, the guide 18 has an end portion 26 bent upwards so as to define the portion of face 25 angled with respect to the portion of face 24.

(15) The portion of face 25 enables the guide 17 to fit beneath the guide 18 for almost the entire length of the guides 17 and 18 thanks to a slight deformation of the guides 17 and 18 as shown in FIG. 6.

(16) The guides 17 and 18 are made of a polymer material adapted to enable relatively small elastic deformations.

(17) In use and with reference to FIG. 1, when the transportation units 5 are arranged in the depot 1, they are aligned with one another along at least one straight track; in this phase the trolleys 6 rest on rails 3 and 4 and are moved by travel devices (not illustrated in the drawings) which push the trolleys 6 against one another. Due to the particular configuration of the guides 17 and 18, the guide 17 of a trolley 6 fits beneath the guide 18 of the adjacent trolley 6 as shown in FIG. 2. A further movement of the travel device (not illustrated in the drawings) determines partial overlapping between the guides 17 and 18 of the two adjacent trolleys 6 as shown in FIG. 6.

(18) Lastly it is evident that modifications and variations can be made to the subject of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the attached claims. That is, various changes and modifications to the presently disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.