Patent ID: 6224015
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: B61B,Y02T

Abstract:
A system for transport of passengers and goods, said system comprising:a ground station (7);a gondola (2);at least one aerostatic buoyancy body (1);said at least one aerostatic buoyancy body (1) supporting said gondola (2);a cableway extending between said ground station (7) and said gondola (2); and whereinthe at least one aerostatic buoyancy body (1) is secured to the ground station (7) by a mooring cable (5) and the mooring cable in the ground station can be wound on and off a drum (19) and has a core which contains lines for conveying energy and exchanging information between the ground station (7) and the gondola (2) and is surrounded by a jacket of high-strength plastics material fibres and earth wires,at least two additional transport cables (3, 4) usually movable in opposite directions extend between the base station (7) and the gondola (2) and at least one cabin (10, 11, 80) is fastened to each cable,a substantially horizontal frame (36) is suspended on ropes (37) from the at least one aerostatic buoyancy body (1) and bears a shaft (32) which is disposed so as to be movable at right angles to the direction in which it extends and in turn supports the gondola (2) on suspension components (31),the at least two transport cables (3, 4) in the gondola (2) are received by a drive device which, together with the means fastening the mooring cable (5) are so fastened to the shaft (32) that the tensile forces exerted by them can be received without torque by the shaft (32),components (35) are provided for moving the shaft (32) parallel to its original position so that the line of action (41) of the tensile forces exerted by the at least three said cables (3, 4, 5) always extends through the centre of buoyancy of the at least one aerostatic buoyancy body (1),the gondola (2) comprises a computer for monitoring and controlling all mechanical processes,the ground station (7) is rotatable around a first vertical axis (8) relative to the environment, comprises mechanical means for winding on and winding off from cable drums, for rotating the ground station (7) in the direction in which the at least one aerostatic buoyancy body (1) is situated relative to the ground station (7), i.e. basically in the leeward direction, and also comprises a computer for monitoring and controlling all mechanical processes and connected for data transfer purposes to the computer in the gondola (2), and the ground station (7) also comprises means for anchoring an aerostatic buoyancy body (1) and means for continually rotating the anchored aerostatic buoyancy body (1) to windward, and both the gondola (2) and the cabins (10, 11, 80) comprise life-saving means which, in the event of a loss of buoyancy by the at least one aerostatic buoyancy body (1) and a breakage of at least one of the cables (3, 4, 5) ensure a safe return to the ground.