CABLEWAY STATION WITH A CONTINUOUS CONVEYOR

Abstract

A cableway station with small spatial requirements that includes boarding and disembarking areas for passengers, a first station level and a second station level. The first station level includes a station conveyor and a continuous conveyor. The continuous conveyor has a conveyor track connecting the station levels, at least one carrying element, and a conveyor for continuously moving the at least one carrying element along the conveyor track. The at least one carrying element is designed to grab a cableway vehicle moved in the first station level by the station conveyor at a transfer point of the station conveyor track and to carry the cableway vehicle to the second station level. The conveyor track at least in sections runs transversely to a gravity plane that includes a gravity direction of gravity acting on the cableway vehicle at the transfer point and the station conveyor direction at the transfer point.

Claims

1. A cableway station with a first station level and a second station level, the first station level includes a station conveyor with a station conveyor track for moving a cableway vehicle along the station conveyor track in a station conveyor direction, the cableway station comprising: a continuous conveyor comprising a conveyor track fixed relative to the cableway station that connects the first station level to the second station level, at least one carrying element configured to grab a cableway vehicle, and a conveyor for continuously moving the at least one carrying element along the conveyor track, wherein the at least one carrying element is configured to grab a cableway vehicle moved in the first station level by the station conveyor along the station conveyor track at a transfer point of the station conveyor track and to carry the cableway vehicle along the conveyor track to the second station level, wherein the conveyor track runs at least in sections along a direction transverse to a gravity plane that includes a direction of gravity acting on the cableway vehicle at the transfer point and the station conveyor direction at the transfer point.

2. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the gravity plane is at a given transverse direction angle to the transverse direction.

3. The cableway station according to claim 2, wherein the transverse direction angle is between 30 degrees and 150 degrees.

4. The cableway station according to claim 2, wherein the transverse direction angle is between 60 degrees and 120 degrees.

5. The cableway station according to claim 2, wherein the transverse direction angle is between 80 degrees and 100 degrees.

6. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the continuous conveyor is configured to transport the cableway vehicle carried by the at least one carrying element along a section of the conveyor track running in the transverse direction to carry the cableway vehicle at least one of away from the gravity plane or towards the gravity plane.

7. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the continuous conveyor is configured to lift the cableway vehicle at the transfer point when it is picked up from the station conveyor track.

8. The cableway station according to claim 7, wherein the continuous conveyor is configured to lift the cableway vehicle at the transfer point vertically relative to the direction of gravity.

9. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the at least one carrying element is designed to carry the cableway vehicle into the second station level while maintaining a relative position assumed by the cableway vehicle with respect to the at least one carrying element.

10. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the continuous conveyor is configured as a circulating conveyor, wherein the conveyor is designed as a chain drive or a belt drive or a cable drive.

11. The cableway station according to claim 10, wherein the continuous conveyor is configured to grab a cableway vehicle via the at least one carrying element while maintaining a continuous movement of the cableway vehicle from the station conveyor and to carry the cableway vehicle to the second station level.

12. The cableway station according to claim 11, wherein a continuous movement of the at least one carrying element along the conveyor track is synchronizable with a movement of the cableway vehicle to be carried along the station conveyor track in order to maintain a continuous movement of the cableway vehicle to be carried along.

13. The cableway station according to claim 1, further comprising a second transfer point located in the first station level or in the second station level, wherein the cableway vehicle is coupled again to a station conveyor track of a station conveyor at the second transfer point.

14. The cableway station according to claim 13, wherein the continuous conveyor is further configured to set down the cableway vehicle at the second transfer point for coupling to the station conveyor track.

15. The cableway station according to claim 14, wherein the continuous conveyor is further configured to set down the cableway vehicle at the second transfer point vertically along the direction of gravity.

16. The cableway station according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a disembarking area or boarding area located in the second station level, wherein the conveyor track passes through the at least one of a disembarking area or boarding area.

17. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the at least one carrying element comprises carrying elements moved simultaneously along the conveyor track and spaced apart from one another to prevent a collision of cableway vehicles carried by the carrying elements.

18. A cableway system comprising: a cableway station according to claim 1; and at least one further cableway station, wherein the cableway station and the further cableway station are connected by a circulating traction cable for transporting cableway vehicles between the cableway station and the at least one further cableway station.

19. The cableway system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one further cableway station comprises two station levels connected by a continuous conveyor for continuous transport of cableway vehicles.

20. A method for moving a cableway vehicle in a cableway station having a first station level, a second station level and a station conveyor with a station conveyor track for moving a cableway vehicle along the station conveyor track in a station conveyor direction, the method comprising: moving the cableway vehicle in the cableway station via a continuous conveyor, where the continuous conveyor comprises a conveyor track fixed relative to the cableway station, at least one carrying element, and a conveyor for continuously moving the at least one carrying element along the conveyor track from the first level to the second level, the at least one carrying element grabbing the cableway vehicle at a transfer point between the station conveyor track and continuous conveyor and carrying the cableway vehicle along the conveyor track to the second level, wherein the conveyor track of the continuous conveyor runs at least in sections along a direction transverse to a gravity plane which includes a direction of gravity acting on the cableway vehicle at the transfer point and the station conveyor direction at the transfer point.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The present invention is described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, which show schematic and non-limiting advantageous embodiments of the invention by way of example. In the figures:

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a cableway station with a vertical conveyor wheel for connecting two levels according to the prior art,

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a 3D view of a continuous conveyor according to the invention,

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a first cableway station along an area enclosed by the conveyor track, and

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a cableway system with a first cableway station and a second cableway station in plan view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice.

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a cableway station S1 of a cableway system 1 (see FIG. 4), as is known, e.g., from EP 1 878 631 B1. The cableway station S1 has a self-contained supporting and traction cable 3 for transporting cableway vehicles 2 between two cableway stations S1, S2 (see, FIG. 4), such as between a valley station and a mountain station. The supporting and traction cable 3 can advantageously be designed with two pairs of strands each moving in the same direction. The individual cableway vehicles 2 can be coupled to the supporting and traction cable 3 by at least one pair of clamps, in the case of a design by strands, to the strands moving in the same direction. Typically, the cableway vehicles 2 are designed with running gears, as is known from the prior art.

[0037] In the exemplary cableway station S1 according to FIG. 1, the supporting and traction cable 3 is led downwards via a vertically aligned first deflection pulley 31 and is guided over a further deflection pulley 32. Subsequently, the cable 3 runs back over a third deflection pulley 33 and then over a fourth deflection pulley 34 to enable a circulating movement of the cable 3. As is known, this enables the transport of cableway vehicles 2 to and from the cableway station S1. In the case shown, the group of deflection pulleys is designed with a tensioning weight 30, by which the supporting and traction cable 3 is tensioned.

[0038] The cableway station S1 is designed to have a first station level E1 and a second station level E2. In the first station level E1 of the cableway station S1, in an extension of the section of the traction cable 3 running horizontally in the first station level E1, two support rails of a first guide rail 41 are provided, to which groups of deceleration wheels 50 and conveyor wheels 51 are assigned, and by which the cableway vehicles 2 in the first station level E1 of the cableway station S1 are moved to a first vertical conveyor wheel HR1. The vertical conveyor wheel HR1 is located at the end of station S1 opposite the entrance to the cableway station S1. The deceleration wheels 50, conveyor wheels 51, etc. form a station conveyor 5 with a station conveyor track 5S for moving a cableway vehicle 2 along the station conveyor track 5S in a station conveyor direction SR, as mentioned from the entrance to the cableway station S1 to the first elevation conveyor wheel HR1 and back, for which purpose the station conveyor track 5S can have two mutually parallel sections with mutually opposite station conveyor directions SR, for the supply and removal transport.

[0039] By the vertical conveyor wheel HR1, the cableway vehicles 2 are moved from the first station level E1, in which the cableway vehicles 2 are moved, for example, into the cableway station S1, to the second station level E2, in which the cableway vehicles 2 can be boarded or disembarked by passengers in an advantageous manner. However, with regard to the structure shown in FIG. 1, other designs of cableway stations 1 are also conceivable, in which, for example, boarding and/or disembarking can take place at a higher station level and entry or exit can take place at a lower station level. A combination of entering and boarding or exiting and disembarking at each station level, etc., is also conceivable; such concepts can be particularly useful in a middle station connecting a valley station with a mountain station. In the second station level E2, a second guide rail 42 formed by two support rails with associated conveyor wheels 52 is connected to the vertical conveyor wheel HR1, by which the cableway vehicles 2 can be moved, for example, through a boarding or disembarking region 20 for the passengers. Further details on the structure shown in FIG. 1 can be found in EP 1 878 631 B1.

[0040] Within the scope of the present invention, it is of course also conceivable that a cableway vehicle 1 is transferred not only to another station level for boarding and disembarking, but also for other purposes, e.g., to transfer a cableway vehicle 1 to a parking region and park it there, or to return a cableway vehicle 1 from a parking region and to activate it again for the transport of passengers between cableway stations. Cableway stations with parking regions are well known in the prior art, e.g., from EP 0 369 981 A2 or from WO 2010/082125 A1.

[0041] As explained earlier, the disadvantage of the cableway station S1 shown in FIG. 1 is that the vertical conveyor wheel HR1 for connecting the station levels E1, E2 takes up a lot of space. A vertical conveyor wheel HR1 according to FIG. 1 can therefore only be used to a limited extent, i.e., only in cableway stations 1 that provide the required space or room. If a vertical conveyor wheel HR1 is to be provided in a newly planned cableway station S1, the spatial requirement mentioned must be taken into account right from the planning and design phase. Cableway stations with insufficient space resources can therefore not be retrofitted with a vertical conveyor wheel HR1 according to FIG. 1. In order to solve this problem, among others, and in particular to offer a more space-saving possibility for transporting cableway vehicles 2 between different station levels E1, E2, the invention proposes an alternative conveying concept, as explained below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0042] Specifically, FIG. 2 shows, also in an exemplary and schematic representation, a 3D view of a continuous conveyor SF according to the invention, as it can be used in a cableway station S1 according to FIG. 1 instead of a vertical conveyor wheel HR1 discussed above, on the one hand to save space, but on the other hand also to enable efficient transport between the station levels E1, E2.

[0043] First, in FIG. 2, as in FIG. 1, a first station level E1 is shown. In the first station level E1, according to the structure shown in FIG. 1, a station conveyor 5 with a station conveyor track 5S is provided for moving a cableway vehicle 2 along the station conveyor track 5S in a station conveyor direction SR. According to the invention, however, in the section of a cableway station S1 shown in FIG. 2, a continuous conveyor SF is provided, which has a conveyor track FS fixed relative to the cableway station S1, at least one carrying element M, and a conveyor (not shown) for continuously moving the at least one carrying element M along the conveyor track FS in order to replace the vertical conveyor wheel HR1. The conveyor track FS connects the first station level E1 to the second station level E2 of the cableway station S1. According to the invention, the at least one carrying element M is designed to grasp a cableway vehicle 2 moved in the first station level E1 by the station conveyor 5 along the station conveyor track 5S at a transfer point UP of the station conveyor track 5S and to carry it along the conveyor track FS to the second station level E2, wherein the conveyor track FS of the continuous conveyor SF runs at least in sections along a transverse direction QR transverse to a gravity plane SE, which is spanned in the transfer point UP by a gravity direction GR of the gravity acting on the cableway vehicle 2 and the station conveyor direction SR at the transfer point UP.

[0044] Spanning a plane is to be understood in the usual sense in mathematics or geometry. As is well known, a(n) (Euclidean) plane is generally an infinitely extended, flat two-dimensional object. As is well known, a plane can be defined by a point (support vector) in space, in the present case this is the transfer point UP, and two span vectors, in the present case these span vectors result from directions occurring at the transfer point UP, i.e., by the gravity direction GR and the station conveyor direction SR. In contrast to the vertical conveyor wheel HR1 according to FIG. 1, it is crucial that the continuous conveyor SF according to the invention does not continue the movement of a cableway vehicle 2 up to the transfer point UP without changing direction, but varies the direction in such a way that space is saved.

[0045] As explained, the arrangement of the conveyor track FS of the continuous conveyor SF, at least in sections, along a transverse direction QR transverse to a gravity plane, which is spanned in the transfer point UP by a gravity direction GR of the gravity acting on the cableway vehicle 2 and the station conveyor direction SR at the transfer point UP, makes it possible to connect the station levels E1, E2 of the cableway station S1 to be connected with little spatial requirement, in particular in comparison to the concept according to EP 1 878 631 B1 shown in FIG. 1. The design of the continuous conveyor SF with a continuously rotating carrying element M also allows the cableway vehicles 2 to be transported without interruptions between the levels E1, E2, which, compared to known solutions, increases the efficiency. The movement contour of the continuous conveyor SF is designed in such a way that a high cycle rate can be achieved and the vehicles 2 do not collide. Compared to prior-art solutions, speed changes can be completely, or at least largely, avoided with appropriate synchronization of the movement in the station conveyor and the movement in the continuous conveyor.

[0046] The invention therefore makes it possible to implement vertical transport of cableway vehicles 2 with a high cycle rate compared to concepts known from the prior art. A key strength of the invention is its flexibility, which allows the invention to be used in a wide variety of cableway architectures, such as two-cable systems or three-cable systems or combinations thereof, as well as in various architectures of cableway stations S1 in which, according to the above statements, for example, a parking region is provided on one level, or in which, as in the case of a middle station, the system is entered on one level and exited from on another level. Parking regions can also be provided in intermediate stations, which are accessed by a continuous conveyor according to the invention. The continuous conveyor according to the invention makes it possible in particular to efficiently move cableway vehicles 2 into and out of a parking region.

[0047] Due to the small spatial requirement, existing systems, i.e., existing cableway stations 1, can be easily retrofitted. In a particularly advantageous manner, the invention allows a cableway vehicle 2 to be taken over without the conveyor technology used having to stop and with only slight speed fluctuations, and subsequently to be set down at another level, i.e., at another level E1, E2, without having to stop. For picking up and setting down a cableway vehicle 2, rollers guided over rails can be used advantageously.

[0048] As also shown in FIG. 2, the gravity plane SE is at a given transverse direction angle to the transverse direction QR. The transverse direction angle is typically between 30 degrees and 150 degrees, preferably between 60 degrees and 120 degrees, or particularly preferably between 80 degrees and 100 degrees. As can be directly deduced from a geometric consideration of the cableway station according to the invention, the spatial requirement of the continuous conveyor is reduced the more the transverse direction angle is closer to 90 degrees. In particular, the longitudinal extension of a cableway station S1 is reduced in this way. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, a transverse direction angle of, as precisely as possible, 90 degrees is provided.

[0049] In a further advantageous embodiment, a continuous conveyor SF according to the invention is further designed to transport a cableway vehicle 2 carried along a section of the conveyor track FS running in the transverse direction QR away from the gravity plane SE and/or to transport it towards the gravity plane SE. The continuous conveyor SF can be designed to lift a cableway vehicle 2 at the transfer point UP when it is picked up from the station conveyor track 5S, preferably vertically along the gravity direction GR. By an at least approximately vertical section of the conveyor track FS, preferably at or in the immediate vicinity of the transfer point UP, the picking up and lifting of cableway vehicles 2 is made possible in an uncomplicated manner.

[0050] In order to reconnect a cableway vehicle 2 to a station conveyor track 5S of a station conveyor 3, a second transfer point UP2 (see FIG. 3) is advantageously provided in the first station level E1 or in the second station level E2, where a cableway vehicle 2 transported by the continuous conveyor SF according to the invention is returned again, first to the station conveyor 5 described above, and subsequently to the traction cable 3 for further transport between different cableway stations. Specifically, the continuous conveyor SF can be advantageously designed to set down a cableway vehicle 2 at the second transfer point UP2 for re-coupling to the station conveyor track 5S, preferably vertically along the gravity direction GR.

[0051] For the concrete implementation of the continuous conveyor SF, it can be provided that the continuous conveyor SF is designed as a circulating conveyor, for example, with a chain drive or belt drive or cable drive as the conveyor, which runs along the conveyor track FS and moves the carrying element M.

[0052] How a continuous conveyor SF according to the invention can be used in conjunction with the other components of the station S1 from FIG. 1 is further shown in FIG. 3. From FIG. 3, it can be seen that a continuous movement of the at least one carrying element M along the conveyor track FS is advantageously synchronized with a movement of a cableway vehicle 2 to be carried along the station conveyor track 5S in order to maintain a continuous movement of the cableway vehicle 2 to be carried along. In this way, it is possible to grasp a cableway vehicle 2 by the at least one carrying element M while maintaining a continuous movement of the cableway vehicle 2 from the station conveyor 5 and to carry it to the second station level E2. Avoiding standstill and/or jerky movements of the cableway vehicles 2 increases the comfort for the passengers.

[0053] If several cableway vehicles 2 are in motion along the conveyor track FS at the same time, as is the case during normal operation of a cableway, it can be advantageously provided that moving carrying elements M are always spaced apart from one another at least so far that a collision of cableway vehicles 2 carried by the carrying elements M along the entire track is prevented. As already explained earlier, a distance between adjacent carrying elements M can be provided for this purpose, which corresponds at least to a minimum longitudinal extension of a transported cableway vehicle 2 in the direction of movement along the conveyor track of the continuous conveyor. As is known, the distance between cableway vehicles 2 decreases in curves and increases in straight lines. In particular, in the region of the transfer points UP mentioned, small distances can occur between cableway vehicles 2, so that a distance from a region around a transfer point UP can be taken as a measure for the spacing of carrying elements M, so that it can be provided that in the region of a transfer point UP at least the distance of a longitudinal extension of cableway vehicles 2 is maintained.

[0054] The cableway station according to the invention is typically provided as a component of a cableway system, as shown in an abstract manner and in plan view in FIG. 4. Such a cableway system preferably comprises a first cableway station S1 according to the invention, as well as at least one further cableway station S2, wherein the first cableway station S1 and the further cableway station S2 are connected by a circulating traction cable 3 for transporting cableway vehicles 2 between the cableway stations S1, S2. In such a cableway system, the further cableway station S2 can also have two station levels E1, E2 connected by a continuous conveyor SF according to the invention for the continuous transport of cableway vehicles 2, but only one of said cableway stations S1, S2 can also be equipped with a continuous conveyor SF according to the invention.

[0055] It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.