Abstract:
A chairlift has chairs for conveying persons. The chairs may be detachably fastened to a haulage and conveying cable. A closing bar can be moved from a closed position into an open position and is mechanically connected by way of a Bowden cable or the like to a lever which interacts with rails that are arranged at the entry and exit of a station of the cableway system. In order to check whether the closing bar is completely opened or closed, a sensor for detecting the position of the actuating device is arranged in the region of the end of the rails as viewed in the conveying direction of the cable.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of Austrian application A 1772/2005, filed Oct. 28, 2005; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
     Field of the Invention  
       [0002]     The invention relates to a cableway system with devices for conveying persons. The transport devices may, if appropriate, be detachably fastened to a cable and they have a safety device which can be moved from a closed position into an open position. The safety device is mechanically connected to an actuating device which interacts with a control device disposed at the entry and exit of a station of the cableway system.  
         [0003]     Safety devices in devices for conveying persons can be gondola doors in the case of cable car systems, and closing bars or weatherproof covers (i.e., hoods) in the case of chairlifts. The safety devices are intended to prevent the persons to be conveyed from falling from the seat or from the gondola cabin while being transported. However, the safety devices are of course only active when they are completely closed during transport.  
         [0004]     In order to ensure this, closing devices exist which automatically open the safety device upon entering a station, and automatically close the safety device upon exiting the station. However, a problem with this is that, during opening or closing, the opening or closing process can be obstructed by a passenger or by objects such as skis or ski poles. Were the opening or closing force too great in this case, injury could occur to the passenger or damage could occur to the objects, and it is imperative that this is avoided. In this case, however, it is no longer ensured that the safety device is completely closed and can perform its actual function.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a device which prevents passengers from falling from a chair or from a cabin, yet reliably prevents injury to the passengers or damage to objects as the safety device is being opened or closed.  
         [0006]     With the above and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a cableway system having devices for conveying persons along a conveying cable between cableway stations, comprising:  
         [0007]     a safety device mounted to the devices for conveying persons and movable between a closed position and an open position;  
         [0008]     a control device disposed at an entry and an exit of a station of the cableway system;  
         [0009]     an actuating device disposed to interact with said control device, said safety device being mechanically connected to said actuating device; and  
         [0010]     a sensor for detecting a position of said actuating device disposed in a region of an end of said control device in a conveying direction of the conveying cable.  
         [0011]     In a preferred implementation of the invention, the devices for conveying persons are detachable from the conveying cable during a transport thereof through the cableway stations.  
         [0012]     In other words, the objects of the invention are achieved in that a sensor for detecting the position of the actuating device is arranged in the region of the end of the control device as viewed in the conveying direction of the cable.  
         [0013]     With the invention, it is detected at the end of the control device as to whether the actuating device has assumed the prescribed position. If this is not the case, the cableway can, for example, be stopped in order to completely open the safety device (when entering a station) or close the safety device (when exiting a station), and then to resume the journey. Since the position of the safety device is checked every time, the opening and closing force can be selected to be small enough that the risk of injury to passengers or of damage to objects can be avoided to the greatest possible extent.  
         [0014]     The sensor could be arranged in the immediate end region of the control device. However, it is preferable within the context of the invention for the sensor to be arranged at a distance from the control device in the conveying direction. This gives sufficient time to completely open or close the safety device when there have been relatively minor problems, without it being necessary to interrupt the operation of the cableway.  
         [0015]     It is possible within the context of the invention to provide efficient monitoring if the actuating device has a displacing member which can be displaced into a first and a second end position, and if the displacing member is displaced into one end position by the control device arranged at the entry, and into the other end position by the control device arranged at the exit.  
         [0016]     In order to limit the opening and closing force, the control devices of the invention can preferably be displaced by the actuating device counter to a restoring force.  
         [0017]     It is alternatively possible, however, for the displacing member to be mounted resiliently on the actuating device or for the displacing member to be connected resiliently to the safety device.  
         [0018]     In all these cases, the spring force or restoring force can be set such that injury to persons or damage to objects can be avoided.  
         [0019]     The restoring force of the control device can preferably be generated, for example, by a spring, a pressure medium cylinder or the like, or by a weight.  
         [0020]     In the invention, the control devices can be rails which are preferably mounted so as to be pivotable, in order to make it possible to pivot them counter to the restoring force.  
         [0021]     In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the rails have a run-in section which is inclined in the conveying direction, and a run-out section which is inclined in the opposite direction. The run-in section serves normally to open or close the safety device. If, however, there is an obstruction during opening or closing which prevents complete opening or closing and the cableway is therefore stopped because the sensor detects this, the opening or closing process must be repeated after the obstruction has been removed. This is preferably carried out by lift staff with the aid of a rod, by means of which the lever is rotated into the correct position. However, this could also be carried out using the run-out section which is inclined in the opposite direction, by moving the chair or cabin so far back that the opening or closing process is repeated as a result of the actuating device being moved along the run-out section.  
         [0022]     In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the displacing member is a lever which is pivotable about a center of rotation and, at the end of one lever arm, has a roller which rolls on the control devices, the other lever arm of the lever being connected to the safety device by means of a connecting rod, a Bowden cable or the like. Here, that lever arm of the lever which is connected to the safety device is pivotable about its center of rotation over a dead point. This measure prevents the safety device, once it has been closed completely, from being opened again intentionally or unintentionally by a passenger.  
         [0023]     The sensors used to monitor the position of the actuating device can be any suitable sensors, for example optical, electromagnetic or mechanical sensors.  
         [0024]     Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0025]     Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in cableway having a safety device, 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.  
         [0026]     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  
       [0027]      FIG. 1  shows the chair of a chairlift from the front,  
         [0028]      FIG. 2  shows the chair from  FIG. 1  from the side,  
         [0029]      FIG. 3  shows a control device in the form of a rail in the entry region of a station,  
         [0030]      FIG. 4  shows a control device in the form of a rail in the exit region of a station, and  
         [0031]      FIG. 5  shows a detail of the actuating device. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0032]     Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to  FIGS. 1 and 2  thereof, there is shown a chair  1  of a chairlift system. The chair  1 , here an exemplary six-person chair which is otherwise formed conventionally with a seat face  2  and a backrest  3  on a frame  4 . The frame  4  is connected by way of an articulated joint  5  to a load-bearing rod  6 , at the upper end of which is attached a clamping device  7  for fastening or coupling the chair  1  to a load-bearing and conveying cable. In addition, a running gear  8  is provided at the upper end of the load-bearing rod. The running gear  8  serves to move the chair  1  through the stations, along rails which are provided in the stations, after the chair  1  has been decoupled from the load-bearing and conveying cable.  
         [0033]     A closing bar  9  with side struts  10  is mounted on the frame  4  by means of bearings  11  so as to be pivotable from a first position (illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), in which the closing bar  9  is situated in the region above the seat faces  2  and in front of the backrest  3 , into a second position (not illustrated in the drawings) in which the closing bar  9  is situated substantially above the backrest  3 . In the first position, the closing bar  9  prevents passengers from slipping or falling from the chair  1 , whereas the passengers can sit on or leave the chair  1  without obstruction when the closing bar  9  is in its second position.  
         [0034]     In order to automatically open and close the closing bar  9 , an actuating device is provided which has a Bowden cable  15  and a lever  16 . At the ends of the side struts  10 , lugs  12  are situated in the region of the bearings  11 , with a cable  14  of the Bowden cable  15  being fastened to the lugs  12  via an articulated joint  13 . The lever  16  is pivotably mounted on the load-bearing rod  6  by means of a mounting plate  17 , and has two lever arms  18 ,  19  which are arranged at an angle of approximately 125° about a pivot bearing  20  of the lever  16 .  FIG. 5  shows in detail the lever  16  when the closing bar  9  is in its open position. A roller  21  is mounted on one lever arm  18 . The other end  22  of the cable  14  is mounted in a bearing  23  on the other lever arm  19 . The sleeve of the Bowden cable  15  is fastened to the frame  4  and to the load-bearing rod  6  by means of brackets  24 ,  25 .  
         [0035]     If the lever  16  in  FIG. 5  is rotated counter-clockwise through an angle of approximately 110°, the cable  14  and therefore also the lug  12  of the closing bar  9  is pulled, so that the latter is pivoted out of its open position into the position illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  
         [0036]     The two positions of the lever  16  are illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the position in which the closing bar  9  is closed being illustrated with solid lines, whereas the position of the lever  16  corresponding to the open position of the closing bar  9  is illustrated with dashed lines. It can be seen that the lever arm  19  and in particular its bearing  23  are moved over a dead point relative to the bracket  24  and the bearing  20 , the dead point preventing the possibility of the closing bar  9  being opened again by hand, as this would require the cable end  22  to be pulled, but the lever  16  cannot be pivoted further as a result of a stop (not illustrated in any more detail) on the mounting plate  17 .  
         [0037]     To pivot the lever  16  and therefore to open and close the closing bar  9 , control devices in the form of rails  26 ,  27  are arranged in the entry region and exit region of a station.  FIG. 3  illustrates an entry region with the rail  26 , and  FIG. 4  illustrates an exit region with the rail  27 . The normal conveying direction of the cableway is illustrated in each case by means of an arrow  32 . In  FIGS. 3 and 4 , all that can be seen of the chair  1  are the load-bearing rod  6  and the upper end of the latter with the clamping device  7  and the running gear  8 , and stationary station devices having running rails for the running gear  8  can also be seen.  
         [0038]     The rail  26  has an inclined run-in section  26   a  and a run-out section  26   b  which is inclined in the opposite direction, and the rail  27  likewise has an inclined run-in section  27   a  and a run-out section  27   b  which is inclined in the opposite direction. When the chair  1  enters from the right in  FIG. 3 , the roller  21  of the lever  16  comes into contact with the upper side of the run-in section  26   a , whereupon the lever  16  is rotated counter-clockwise, as a result of the inclination of the rail  26 , until it reaches the position illustrated at the left of  FIG. 3 , in which position the closing bar  9  is open. If, however, the opening movement of the closing bar  9  is obstructed, the lever  16  should also rotate no further in order to avoid injury to passengers or damage to objects. In order to prevent the lever from having to rotate further as the chair moves onward, the rail  26  is pivotably mounted at one end on a bearing  28 , so that the rail  26  can move into the position illustrated with dashed lines in  FIG. 3  and can give way to the lever  16  and its roller  21 . The force which the rail  26  exerts counter to the lever  16  is applied by a pressure medium cylinder, for example a gas cylinder  29 , having an adjustable preload force.  
         [0039]     A sensor  30  is situated in the region after the rail  26 , the sensor  30  in the illustrated exemplary embodiment being a mechanical sensor with a contact finger  31  which is triggered by the roller  16  if, even after the rail  26 , the roller  16  is still situated in the position illustrated at the right of  FIG. 3 . The chair  1  is then stopped and the problem is removed. This is carried out by lift staff by means of a rod, by means of which the lever  16  is rotated into the correct position. However, with a suitable design of the run-out section  26   b , that is to say with a sufficiently small angle of the section  26   b  in the conveying direction  32 , this could also be carried out by pushing the chair  1  counter to the normal conveying direction (arrow  32 ), resulting in the roller  21  of the lever  16  coming into contact with the run-out section  26   b  and subsequently being rotated counter-clockwise, resulting in the closing bar  9  being opened.  
         [0040]     In  FIG. 4 , the process is the reverse of that from  FIG. 3 , that is to say that the chair  1 , entering from the left with the closing bar  9  open and the roller  21  situated at the top, comes into contact with the lower side of the run-in section  27   a  of the rail  27 . The lever  16  is rotated by the inclined run-in section  27   a  until it reaches the position illustrated at the right of  FIG. 4 , in which position the closing bar  9  is closed again. Should there be an obstruction as the closing bar  9  closes, the rail  27  can give way in that it can pivot upward about a bearing  33  in the region of its entry-side end  34 . The force which the rail  27  exerts counter to the lever  16  is applied by its own weight, it being possible if required to adjust the force by means of an additional weight  35 .  
         [0041]     If a sensor (not illustrated in  FIG. 4 ) corresponding to the sensor  30  in  FIG. 3  determines that the lever  16  is not in the correct position, and the closing bar  9  is therefore not completely closed, the chair  1  is stopped again and the lever  16  is rotated by the lift staff by hand using a rod, whereupon the chair can be conveyed onward.  
         [0042]     A spring (not illustrated) is attached to the rear side of the backrest  3 , the spring being preloaded such that it acts on the closing bar  9  in the direction of its opening movement, in order to facilitate any required opening of the closing bar  9  by hand. This is of course only possible when the lever  16  is not in its blocked position (for example illustrated at the left of  FIG. 4 ). In addition, the closing bar is held by the spring in the open position if the closing process ( FIG. 4 ) was unsuccessful.