Assembly for securing a gondola or a chair to a suspension bar

An assembly for securing a gondola (5) or chair of a cableway system to a spension bar (1), which is embodied on its lower end with a support device (2) that fits under a load-bearing structure (3) for the gondola (5) or chair, wherein at least one damping element (4) in the form of an inflatable vessel is disposed between the support device (2) and the load-bearing structure (3). At least two and in particular four mutually spaced-apart air or gas springs (4), on which the load-bearing structure (3) rests, are provided on the support device (2) (FIG. 1 ).

The present invention relates to an assembly for securing a gondola or 
chair of an overhead cableway system to a suspension bar (hanger), which 
is embodied on its lower end with a support device that fits under a 
load-bearing structure for the gondola or chair, wherein at least one 
damping element in the form of an inflatable vessel is disposed between 
the support device and the load-bearing structure. 
In known apparatus of this kind, a support device is pivotably connected to 
the lower end of the suspension bar, which in particular is clamped 
fixedly or releasably to the feed cable by means of a clamp device, the 
support device being embodied with four support arms, for instance, whose 
free ends are penetrated by bolts anchored in the gondola. To attain an 
elastically damping fastening to the support arms, sleeves are provided 
into which cylindrical damping bodies are inserted that are penetrated by 
the bolts, and retaining disks are disposed on the upper ends of the 
bolts. 
However, these known fasteners do not meet the demands made of them, 
because as a result of excessive compression of the damping bodies, as 
well as aging of the material of the damping bodies and other factors, 
shocks that are caused by the motion of the clamping jaws via the cable 
rollers are transmitted to the gondola via the suspension bar, and as a 
result a number of shocks reach the gondola as it passes over the cable 
rollers. This also causes cable vibration and generates noise. 
These disadvantageous effects are becoming increasingly important, because 
the speeds of cableway systems are higher and higher, to increase the 
carrying capacity; and this increases the shocks caused when the gondola 
travels over sets of rollers. Conversely, though, the passengers are 
looking for an increasingly comfortable ride. 
Another disadvantage of known apparatus is that for the sake of strength, 
when the gondola is secured to the suspension bar the fastening bolts must 
be located in the peripheral regions of the roof of the gondola. 
Conversely, however, to avert torque exerted by the gondola on the 
suspension bar, the fastening of the suspension bar should be located in 
the middle region of the gondola roof. To avert the exertion of torque on 
the suspension bar, it is therefore necessary, in known fasteners, to 
dispose a joint between the suspension bar and the support device. 
An apparatus for elastically suspending a cableway gondola is disclosed in 
European Patent disclosure EP-A 015 205; this apparatus is embodied by a 
damping element, in the form of an inflatable tire, disposed between a 
support device secured on the suspension bar and a load-bearing frame 
connected to a gondola. However, this apparatus does not meet requirements 
because if the damping element should fail, for instance if air escapes 
from it as a result of damage, the damping action sought is not 
guaranteed. Moreover, this damping element is of the kind that must be 
made specially for this particular intended application. 
By comparison, the object of the present invention is to create a damping 
device by which the calm motion of the gondola or chair that is sought is 
assured even at high travel speed, which enables suspension of the gondola 
or chair from the suspension bar without a joint located between the 
support device and the load-bearing structure, which can be manufactured 
in a simple way because it is made of devices that are available on the 
market, and which is still functional even if some of the devices fail. 
These disadvantages of the known prior art are avoided according to the 
invention in that at least two and in particular four spaced-apart air or 
gas springs, on which the load-bearing structure rests, are provided on 
the support device. 
Since the damping devices thus comprise commercially available components, 
namely gas springs or air springs, this assembly can be manufactured in a 
simple way. Since moreover at least two gas springs or air springs are 
disposed between the support device and the load-bearing structure, the 
damping action sought is at least partially assured even if one of these 
parts fails because of a malfunction. 
Preferably, the support device has two substantially parallel support 
rails, on each of whose free ends at least one damping element is 
disposed, and the load-bearing structure has two parallel rails, which are 
oriented transversely to the support rails and which rest on the air or 
gas springs. The support device may have two brackets, connected to the 
suspension bar rod, on which brackets the support rails are secured, and 
the load-bearing structure may be formed by two parallel rails and two 
rails, extending transversely thereto, on which free ends the gondola or 
chair is secured. 
In a further preferred embodiment, the gondola or chair is pivotably 
connected to the load-bearing structure by means of substantially 
horizontally oriented bolts, as a result of which it is pivotable relative 
thereto. The load-bearing structure may be embodied in its outer region 
with downwardly projecting braces (tabs), which are penetrated by support 
bolts for the gondola. 
In a further preferred embodiment, the load-bearing structure is embodied 
with a wall extending in rooflike fashion, wherein the air or gas springs 
are disposed between the support device and this wall. Moreover, the 
load-bearing structure may be embodied with two vertically spaced-apart 
walls, between which the support device is disposed, and air or gas 
springs are disposed both above and below the support device. Moreover, 
the air or gas springs may communicate by means of lines with one another 
and with a central pressure fluid supply. 
In a further preferred embodiment, at least one additional mechanical 
damping device is provided between the support device and the load-bearing 
structure, which in particular is formed by rubber buffers and a tie rod.

As can be seen from FIG. 1 and 2, a gondola 5 is fastened to the lower end 
of a suspension bar rod 1 by means of an assembly 2 and 3. A clamp body 
11, clamps jaws 13 adjustable by means of a control roller 12, and rollers 
14 of a pulling cradle are disposed on the upper end of the suspension bar 
rod 1. The suspension bar rod 1 can be coupled to a feed cable by means of 
the clamp jaws 13. 
The fastening assembly comprises a support device 2, disposed on the lower 
end of the suspension bar rod 1, and a load-bearing structure 3, secured 
to the roof 52 of the gondola 5. As can also be seen from FIG. 3, the 
support device 2 comprises two rails 21 oriented in the travel direction A 
of the gondola 5 and two brackets 22, extending transversely thereto, 
which are rigidly joined to the side faces of the suspension bar rod 1. 
The load-bearing structure 3 likewise comprises two rails 31 extending 
into the travel direction A of the gondola 5, joined together by two rails 
32 aligned transversely to them. The load-bearing structure 3 is joined to 
the gondola 5 in that bolts 51 which are anchored in the roof 52 of the 
gondola 5 are provided on the free ends of the rails 31. Air or gas 
springs 4 are disposed between the support device 2 and the load-bearing 
structure 3; they are located between the free ends of the rails 21 of the 
support device 2 and the rails 32 of the load-bearing structure 3. 
Because the fastening of the gondola 5 to the load-bearing structure 3 and 
the fastening of the load-bearing structure 3 to the support device 2 are 
located at separate points from one another, the demands for a stable 
fastening of the gondola 5 and for avoidance of torque exerted on the 
suspension bar rod 1 are met in a simple way. Furthermore, by the 
disposition of air or gas springs 4 between the load-bearing structure 3 
and the support device 2, an optimally spring fastening of the gondola 5 
is attained; hence the shocks caused by the motion of the cable clamps 
over the cable rollers are not transmitted to the gondola 5, and the 
gondola is subjected to much slighter mechanical strains. Moreover, this 
damps the transmission of noise. FIG. 4 shows a different embodiment of a 
fastening assembly according to the invention. The load-bearing structure 
3 is embodied on its free ends with tabs 34, which are each provided with 
a bore, and tabs 54, each likewise provided with a bore, protrude from the 
roof 52 of the gondola 5; the bores of the tabs 34 and 54 are penetrated 
by hinge bolts 35. As a result, the gondola 5 is slightly pivotable 
relative to the load-bearing structure 3. 
The load-bearing structure 3, embodied with a rooflike wall 36, is 
penetrated by the suspension bar rod 1, to which the support device 2 is 
secured. A plurality of air springs 4 are disposed between the free ends 
or the outer edge of the support device 2 and the wall 36 of the 
load-bearing structure 3. The air springs 4 communicate by means of lines 
41 with one another and with a central air supply. As a result, the 
pressure prevailing in the air springs 4 can be controlled to meet 
requirements. The axis of the air springs 4 forms a small acute angle with 
the axis of the suspension bar rod 1. 
In addition, additional mechanical damping devices 6, which are shown in 
FIG. 5, are provided between the support device 2 and the load-bearing 
structure 3. These devices comprise a housing 61, open toward the bottom 
and disposed on the underside of the wall 36, with a rubber buffer 62, a 
tie rod 63, and a housing 64, disposed on the support device 2, with a 
rubber buffer 65. The upper rubber buffer 62 protrudes downward from the 
housing 61, and the lower rubber buffer 65 protrudes downward from a wall 
of the housing 64. The tie rod 63 is anchored in the housing 61, surrounds 
the upper rubber buffer 62, and rests on the lower rubber buffer 65. As a 
result of these mechanical damping devices 6, motions that the support 
device 2 executes relative to the load-bearing structure 3 are limited 
because either the upper rubber buffer 62 comes to rest on the lower 
housing 64, or the motion of the support device 2 and load-bearing 
structure 3 away from one another is limited by the tie rod 63. 
FIG. 6 shows a variant embodiment in which the load-bearing structure 3 has 
in addition to the rooflike wall 36 a lower, flat wall 37; a first group 
of air springs 4 is provided between the support device 2 and the wall 36, 
and a second group of air springs 4 is provided between the support device 
2 and the wall 37. Further improvement in the damping action is attained 
as a result. 
Instead of the air springs, gas springs may also be provided. Because of 
the damping elements provided between the support device and the 
load-bearing structure, the transmission of shocks and noises from the 
clamping device to the gondola via the suspension bar rod is averted. 
An assembly of this kind for suspending gondolas or chairs can be employed 
with arbitrary types of cable cars. For instance, the suspension bar may 
be clamped fixedly to the support cable, or the clamps may be 
disconnectable from the support cable in the stations. The suspension bar 
may also be embodied with a pulling cradle, as a result of which the 
suspension bar, decoupled from the support cable, is movable with the 
gondola along rails in the stations, or the suspension bar is movable with 
the gondola along a support cable.