Abstract:
A railroad, in particular an amusement ride, has a route subdivided into sections. Vehicles driven exclusively by gravity move along the route. Switching elements are arranged on the route for switches situated on the vehicles, in order to determine the position of the vehicles on the route. Vehicle controllers on the vehicles are connected to a central controller via a radio network. Brakes are arranged on the vehicles. Therefore, apart from the switching elements, all safety-relevant parts are shifted from the railroad to the vehicles and the vehicles are equipped with controllers, so that they can brake automatically and at any time if necessary, e.g. in the event of a failure or a disruption of the communication with the central controller.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The invention relates to a tram, in particular an amusement ride such as an entertainment railroad or aerial cableway, having a route subdivided into sections, having vehicles that move along the route in a manner driven exclusively by gravity at least in sections, having a central controller and having switching elements for switches in order to determine the position of the vehicles on the route. The switches are connected to the central controller.  
         [0003]     The invention furthermore relates to a method for controlling the movement of at least one vehicle along a route subdivided into sections, in particular of an entertainment device, in which the vehicles are driven exclusively by gravity at least in sections, in which that section of the route in which the vehicle is currently situated is detected by means of at least one switching element and at least one switch, and in which a corresponding item of information is transmitted to a central controller.  
         [0004]     Such entertainment trams and methods for controlling the operation and in particular for monitoring safety functions and for possible deceleration of the vehicles are known in the prior art. In this case, switches or sensors are disposed on the railroad and report a signal to the central controller when the vehicle travels past. As a result, the central controller can detect which section of the railroad is occupied by a vehicle and which section is free. The sensors or switches are fixedly connected by cabling to the central controller and switching elements that actuate the switches are situated on the vehicles. The switches have to be connected by cabling by means of decentralized peripherals with or in terminal boxes, which necessitates a heating system if the railroad is to be operated even at temperatures of around or below 0° C. There is also the risk of dewing, which has to be prevented by special measures. On account of the long cabling, the data transmission rate from the switches to the central controller decreases to a very great extent with length, as a result of which long reaction times arise.  
         [0005]     In the case of a hazard or impending danger, for example when two vehicles get too close to one another, the vehicles can only be stopped by actuating safety brakes on the railroad. If a section change has taken place, and the succeeding section is not free, the central controller can therefore only stop the vehicle by activating the safety brakes on the route. The central controller furthermore ensures, by means of corresponding start sequence times, that the vehicles on the route are at a sufficiently great distance and cannot catch up to one another.  
         [0006]     Since many safety-relevant parts are situated on the route (cabling, switches, brakes, etc.), there is also a not inconsiderable risk of intentional or inadvertent damage, which increases the risk of an accident.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a tram, in particular an entertainment railroad or aerial cableway, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which is further improved in terms of the safety and controllability of the vehicles that move along the railroad.  
         [0008]     With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a tram, in particular such a device suited for an amusement ride, comprising:  
         [0009]     a route divided into a plurality of route sections;  
         [0010]     a central controller;  
         [0011]     a plurality of vehicles configured to travel along the route substantially exclusively driven by gravity, at least in sections of the route, and having vehicle controllers connected to the central controller through wireless connection;  
         [0012]     switching elements disposed along the route and respectively assigned to the route sections;  
         [0013]     switches respectively mounted to the vehicles and connected to the vehicle controllers, the switches cooperating with the switching elements for determining a position of the vehicles along the route.  
         [0014]     With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a method of controlling a movement of at least one vehicle along a route divided into sections. The novel method comprises the following steps:  
         [0015]     driving the at least one vehicle substantially exclusively by gravity, at least in sections, along the route;  
         [0016]     detecting a section of the route in which the vehicle is currently located by way of at least one switching element and at least one switch connected to a vehicle controller mounted to the vehicle;  
         [0017]     transmitting a corresponding item of information from the vehicle controller to a central controller by wireless communication and determining a current location of the vehicle with the central controller.  
         [0018]     In the novel system, apart from the switching elements, all safety-relevant parts are shifted from the railroad to the vehicles, and the vehicles are equipped with controllers, so that they can carry out emergency braking automatically and at any time if necessary, e.g. in the event of a failure or a disruption of the communication with the central controller. Furthermore, the vehicles are able to regulate the distance from a vehicle traveling ahead of them by means of targeted braking, since the controller of each vehicle, by means of the central controller, knows the position preferably of every other but at the very least the position of the vehicle traveling directly ahead of it, i.e. the section in which the vehicle is situated or the vehicles are situated.  
         [0019]     The switching elements on the route may be embodied in such a way that they manage without any power supply or communication with the central controller, with the result that cabling on the route is entirely obviated. The vehicle controllers in turn may be connected to the central controller via a safety-oriented, radio-controlled bus system, thereby affording very high safety (safety category 4 according to EN954 or according to IEC/EN 61508).  
         [0020]     The controller furthermore has double safety since the position of each vehicle in the individual sections is monitored both by the central controller and by the vehicle controller, and the vehicle controllers are continuously in contact with the central controller via a permanent, bidirectional radio link. Therefore, if the radio link is interrupted or disrupted or the data communicated by the central controller do not logically correspond to the data stored in the vehicle controller, each vehicle can be immediately halted independently of all the other vehicles. It is also possible to halt the vehicles only in specific sections of the route. Moreover, the vehicles independently of the central controller, may carry out safety checks (signal tests, functional tests or tests of the safety brake and of the trimming brake) in defined sections of the route (e.g. in the railroad station) and report the result to the central controller.  
         [0021]     In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the vehicles are not equipped with individual drives.  
         [0022]     In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the switching elements are configured to actuate the switches by contactless actuation.  
         [0023]     In accordance with another feature of the invention, the switching elements are respectively disposed at transitions from one of the route sections to a following the route section.  
         [0024]     In accordance with a further feature of the invention, each switching element has two or more transmitters having assigned sensors on the switches of the vehicles. Preferably, the switching elements have at least one transmitter for signifying a section change and at least one transmitter for identifying the switching element. In a further variation, the switching elements have two groups of transmitters as seen in a direction of travel.  
         [0025]     In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, the switching elements comprise magnetically conductive material identifiable by the sensors.  
         [0026]     In accordance with again an additional feature of the invention, the switching elements have permanent magnets.  
         [0027]     In accordance with a further development of the invention, there are trimming brakes mounted to each vehicle. Similarly, each vehicle may be equipped with a safety brake.  
         [0028]     In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the wireless connection between the vehicle controllers and the central controller is formed as a safety-oriented data transmission system, in particular a bus system.  
         [0029]     Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0030]     Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a tram with gravity driven vehicles and method for controlling the operation of the tram, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.  
         [0031]     The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a tram according to the invention;  
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of the connection of the central controller to the vehicle controllers;  
         [0034]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view illustrating the assignment of the switching elements and of the switches;  
         [0035]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of exemplary embodiments of the assignment of the switching elements and of the switches;  
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a further possibility for assignment of the switching elements and of the switches;  
         [0037]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view of exemplary embodiments of the assignment of the switching elements and of the switches in accordance with  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0038]      FIG. 7  is a partial top, side perspective of an exemplary arrangement of the switching elements and of the switches on the route and on the vehicle;  
         [0039]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged detail from  FIG. 7 ; and  
         [0040]      FIG. 9  is a section through the configuration of  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0041]     Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to  FIG. 1  thereof, there is shown a schematic illustration of a tram in the form of an amusement ride. The latter comprises a route  1  divided into sections  1   a,    1   b,    1   c,    1   d  and  1   e.  The route itself may be for example a rail system or some other traveling profile on which vehicles  2  slide or roll in upright or suspended fashion. The vehicles themselves do not require their own drive. The route  1  may furthermore be straight or curved, and have not only a declivity, but also acclivities, but declivities and acclivities succeed one another in such a way that the vehicles can always progress without a drive motor, i.e. only through gravity. In principle, however, it is also conceivable for the route to be subdivided into route portions between which the vehicles are driven back up to a higher level by way of external, stationary drive means.  
         [0042]     The route  1  for the vehicles  2  then leads to a railroad station  3 , from where the vehicles are conveyed back to a start  5  by means of a lifting apparatus  4 .  
         [0043]     As already mentioned, the route  1  is divided into individual sections  1   a  to  1   e,  switching elements  6  being disposed at the transitions between the individual sections. The switching elements  6  are assigned switches with sensors  21  to  26  on the vehicles  2 . Therefore, if a vehicle  2  moves past a switching element  6 , the switch identifies a section change and reports this to a central controller  8  by way of a vehicle controller  7  that is disposed on board, via a bidirectional, safety-oriented radio link. The vehicles  2  therefore have transmitting/receiving antennas  9 , and the central controller likewise has a transmitting/receiving antenna  10 .  
         [0044]     Finally, the vehicles also have a trimming brake and a safety brake. The trimming brake serves for regulating the traveling speed of the vehicles, whereas the safety brake is intended and designed for an emergency stop of the vehicles.  
         [0045]     In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the radio link is a bidirectional, safety-oriented BUS system with radio routers  11  and  12  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Both the central controller  8  and the vehicle controllers  7  are so-called safety stored-program controllers, which ensure a correspondingly high safety level of the operation of the railroad. Via the radio router  11  and the transmitting/receiving antenna  10 , the central controller  8  is continuously in contact with the vehicle controllers  7  that are likewise provided with radio routers  12  and transmitting/receiving antennas  9 . By virtue of this permanent radio link, the central controller  8  always knows the current position of each vehicle  2  and the safety status thereof. Equally, each vehicle  2  or the controller  7  thereof always knows the position or the section in which every other vehicle  2  is situated and can thus automatically determine the distance from the preceding vehicle  2  with the aid of the trimming brake in such a way that a safety-critical approach does not occur.  
         [0046]     According to the invention, the switching element uses is a group of transmitters, which not only reveal a section change of a vehicle but at the same time also supply a specific item of information regarding which section change is currently being crossed. This affords additional safety since the vehicle controller  7  has a monitoring possibility for identifying an incorrect or absent item of section change information.  
         [0047]     By way of the transmitters, which signal only one section change each, the vehicle controller can determine which identifier (e.g. number) a section change must have. The controller can compare this with the information supplied by the transmitters for the section number. If a discrepancy occurs here, either the switching elements or transmitters on the route are defective or the corresponding sensors on the vehicle or the vehicle controller itself has a defect, and it is possible to carry out corresponding countermeasures such as, for example, an emergency stop of the affected vehicle and of the succeeding vehicles and also a monitoring of the switching elements and switches or of the vehicle controller.  
         [0048]     The exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a switching element  6  having four possible positions  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16  for transmitters, the occupation of which enables a precise identification of the switching element. The further positions  17  and  18  on the switching element  6  are intended for transmitters which on the one hand only supply the information that a switching element is being crossed (thus an item of information that a section change is currently taking place), but on the other hand perform a so-called “trigger function” in order to enable an exact check of the occupation of the transmitter positions  13  to  16 .  
         [0049]     It is evident in  FIG. 3  that a switching element  6  is subdivided into two groups  20   a,    20   b  of transmitters, namely the transmitters  13 ,  14  and  17  in group  20   a  and the transmitters  15 ,  16  and  18  in group  20   b,  as seen in the direction of travel (arrow  19 ). On the route  1  itself, the positions  17  and  18  of the transmitters for a section change are always occupied, as shown by the examples in  FIG. 4 . In the illustration in  FIG. 4 , positions occupied by transmitters are illustrated in hatched fashion, whereas positions that are not occupied by transmitters are shown blank and only with a dashed border.  
         [0050]     Sensors  21  and  22  assigned to the transmitters in position  13  and  15  and, respectively,  14  and  16  are situated on the vehicle. Furthermore, sensors  23 ,  24  and  25 ,  26  assigned to the positions  17  and  18  of the transmitters are fitted to the vehicle.  
         [0051]     If a vehicle moves past the switching element  6  in arrow direction  19 , then firstly the sensors  25  and  26  are activated by the transmitter  18  as soon as they are situated fully beside the latter. This is the triggering signal for the controller to ascertain on the basis of the sensors  21  and  22  whether the positions  15  and  16  are occupied by transmitters. Afterward, if the vehicle has moved on, the sensors  23  and  24  are activated by the transmitter  17 , which is in turn the signal for the controller to ascertain with the aid of the sensors  21  and  22  whether the positions  13  and  14  are occupied by transmitters.  
         [0052]      FIG. 4  illustrates various examples of how the positions  13  to  16  may be occupied by transmitters, four positions resulting in a total of sixteen possibilities for occupying them differently. On the sections  1   a  to  1   e  of the route, the positions  17  and  18 , as already mentioned, are always occupied by transmitters since they are the triggers for the sensors  21  and  22  to ascertain the occupation of the positions  13  to  16 .  
         [0053]     This type of arrangement or occupation of positions for the transmitters affords very high safety since “read errors” cannot occur if the vehicles move past the switching elements  6  at relatively high speed.  
         [0054]     The situation is different in the railroad station  3  or on regions of the route on which the vehicles are moved only at relatively low speed. There it is possible to employ a positioning or occupation such as is illustrated schematically in  FIG. 5 . The sensors  21  to  26  on the vehicle are unchanged in this case. What has changed, by contrast, is that there are two additional positions  27  and  28  besides the two positions or transmitters  17  and  18 , whereas only two positions  13  and  14  for transmitters are provided for the determination of what control element is explicitly involved. This results in further possibilities for determining the position for the vehicles  2 , as is illustrated by way of example in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0055]      FIGS. 7, 8  and  9  illustrate a traveling profile  30  of the route  1 , along which a vehicle travels in suspended fashion. The vehicle itself is not illustrated, rather only a running gear  31  of a vehicle  2  to which the sensors  21  to  26  of the switches  29  are fixed. The non-illustrated passenger carrier (chair, cabin or the like) is suspended from the running gear  31  on a rod  33 . The running gear rolls on the traveling profile  30  over eight pairs of wheels  34  suspended in rocking fashion. The pairs of wheels  34  are not illustrated in  FIG. 9  for reasons of better or clearer illustration of the switches  29 .  
         [0056]     The disposition of transmitters corresponds to the top left exemplary embodiment in  FIG. 4 , that is to say that only the position  13 , but not the positions  14 ,  15  and  16 , is occupied by a transmitter for the section transition number. Transmitters can furthermore be seen at the positions  17  and  18  in FIGS.  7  to  9 . The transmitters  13 ,  17  and  18  are fixed to the traveling profile  30  on mounting brackets  32 .  
         [0057]     The sensors  21  to  26  that detect the presence of transmitters are fixed to the running gear  31 .  
         [0058]     In the exemplary embodiment, the transmitters  13 ,  17  and  18  as well as transmitters present if need be at other positions are iron rails which are magnetized by initiators, assigned to the sensors  21  to  26 , upon traveling past, so that the presence of the transmitters can be detected by the sensors.  
         [0059]     Instead of the soft-magnetic transmitters, other forms of switching elements could also be used, e.g. those of permanent-magnetic type or those having a light-reflecting surface, in which case the initiators and sensors on the vehicle have to be adapted correspondingly, of course.  
         [0060]     This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of Austrian patent application No. A 521/2004, filed Mar. 24, 2004; the entire disclosure of the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference.