Patent Publication Number: US-2012031297-A1

Title: Cableway car with braking pulley device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention regards to a pulley device according to pre-characterizing part of claim  1 , and to a cableway car comprising a pulley device. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Generally speaking, traditional cableways transport things between two relatively distant points with sufficient difference in altitude between them, separated by natural obstacles such as rugged terrain, rivers, forests, and valleys. 
     Certainly the simplest type of cableway is composed of a rope with one end of departure that is attached to a tree or fixing up the gradient, and the opposite end attached to another tree or moreover to the chosen point of arrival for the transport of such things as logs or things down the gradient along the span of a distance having considerable difference in altitude and also covering a long distance. 
     Precisely because of their simplicity of construction, cableways are normally mobile with a sufficiently long rope being able to fix departure and arrival ends near a work site up the gradient and a yard or storage situated down the gradient. 
     TECHNICAL PROBLEM 
     A common requirement of these rope transport systems is to be able to regulate the velocity of a car&#39;s and the transported material&#39;s descent, especially approaching the point of arrival in order to avoid the same material suffering impact damage. 
     This problem is normally resolved by an expert cableway positioner and operator, equipping the system with a much longer rope than the aerial distance between the two points to be connected so that on leaving the difference in altitude between these two points as the final part is substantially flat, the force of gravity accumulated by the material during the initial phase of its descent is dampened. 
     The use of this type of cableway has also recently been extended to the transport of people such as for pleasure or in safety, naturally arranging the cableway on spans with the minimum difference in altitude compared to their lengths in addition to an absolutely flat final section so as to not to reach a descent speed, including in the initial section, that could be dangerous for the same persons transported. 
     The said limitations of difference in altitude and in length have also limited the possibility of applying this type of cableway to the transport of people precisely because this guarantees the maximum safety, while the same persons, and not only the young, would like to experience excitement as they pass over rugged terrain and enjoy the views from greater heights, which is also shared with the limitations required for their absolute safety. 
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present innovation is to make it possible to develop cableway systems, descending by gravity from altitude and over remarkable distances in order to provide transport and also for the enjoyment of people who want to experience excitement but in increased level of safety, especially the maximum of safety along the entire length of its route. 
     In addition to performing this task, another preferred important aim of the innovation is for people to be able to admire landscapes and situations inaccessible by normal ascent since the said situations constantly change along the entire distance of the cableway. 
     Another preferred important aim of the present innovation is to use this means of transport to carry goods and material, for example meteorological instrumentations for survey or television transmission equipment that need to be transported carefully. 
     Last but not least, one preferred aim of the present innovation is to allow any normal person who is not specifically trained to be something like a parachutist to experience suspension in the air and the strong emotion and pleasant memory associated with this experience. 
     TECHNICAL SOLUTION 
     This object is solved by a pulley device having features according to claim  1 , and by a cableway car comprising such a pulley device according to claim  11 . Preferred aspects and embodiments are subject-matter of dependent claims. 
     Especially, there is provided a pulley device, especially turbo braking pulley device, especially designed for cableways, for gravitational transport of persons and things, characterised in that it has at least one pair of blades, a rotation speed of which is reduced by effect of friction with air encountered as it descends a cableway span, that is applied upon them by a respective pulley, transmitting said reduction in rotation speed to at least one pulley. 
     Using such pulley device, during a first part of descending the rope the pulleys is accelerated. The movement of the pulleys is transmitted onto the blades. With increasing speed the blades are more and more dragged by the air friction. The dragging of the blades results in a dragging of the pulleys. 
     Especially such a pulley device, especially being designed for cableways, for gravitational transport of persons and things, is preferred if blades, at least one pair of blades, being arranged such that a rotation speed of which is reducible by effect of friction with air encountered as the pulley device descends a rope of a cableway span, and a gear transmitting said blades reduction in rotation speed to at least one pulley. 
     ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS 
     Thus a preferred subject of the present innovation is a new pulley device with automatic braking for the transport of persons and/or things by gravity along spans on normal gradients. 
     A preferred main specification of the present pulley device is for a descent controlled by the pulley and its weight or its load, respectively specifically for the transport of persons along the span of the rope reaching a predetermined maximum speed and guaranteed by appropriate fins or blades that are indirectly connected to a pair of rolling pulleys along the rope of the cableway, the said blades being braked by an air braking its rotation speed, therefore slowing the rotation of the same pulleys on the rolling rope and therefore the descent velocities of the car or pulley to which the weight and the person going down the gradient is coupled. 
     In effect, these and other aims are all achieved by applying a pulley device to the cableway rope that is equipped with at least a rolling pulley and braked descent along the same rope, and this pulley is connected with at least one finned pinion or blade whose rotation is caused by the rotation of the pulley, is braked by the ambient air that therefore also brakes the rotation of the same pulley and limits the device&#39;s velocity of descent and that of the person or things attached to it. 
     Preferably, such pulley device comprises at least one such pulley that descents along a rope, in which an external rim of the pulley has gear teeth that are positioned in order to mesh with gear teeth of a corresponding spool, especially sprocket, which is firmly attached to a shaft, especially spindle, to which one pair of such blades are attached, the rotation of which is reduced by friction with the air, consequently resulting in the reduced rotation and descent speed of the pulley. 
     Especially, at least one such pair of pulleys is supported and positioned by a pair of walls, which support and position corresponding spools, which are positioned in order to mesh with the toothed rims of said pulleys. 
     Preferably, each pulley, is supported by a axle, especially spindle, that firmly secures it to the two opposing walls of the pulley device by interposition of rolling mediums, thus allowing it to rotate on the same shaft. 
     Especially, each pulley has a flared groove and either a toothed rim or is at any rate paired with a respective ring gear. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, each a crown gear of such pulley is positioned in order to mesh with respective gear teeth of the spools, which are firmly attached to respective shafts, the respective ends of which firmly support the pair of ventilation blades. 
     Especially, in such a pulley device the shafts are aligned or at any rate firmly joined onto the spools and the blades, thus ensuring the support and the positioning between the walls of the pulley device as well as their connection with the pulleys, thus ensuring their firm rotational movement. 
     Especially, in such a pulley device the braking action, especially turbo braking action of the blade ensures that optimal aeration is achieved by the blades through their turbo braking action, as well as the full or partial aperture of a pulley wheel housing, between supporting walls, even in the case of perforations in said walls and of any perforations in protective surfaces covering the blades. 
     Especially, such walls, although removable, are firmly joined together by various tie-rods and their respective spacers and the respective nut-and-bolt-works as required for safety purposes. 
     Especially, such pair of walls of said pulley device have respective holes for the application of hooks for the harnessing persons or means of transport to be conveyed along the span of the cableway. 
     Especially, there is provided a cableway car comprising such a pulley device to be guided along a rope of a cableway. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       A better understanding of the proposed solution and proof of the attainment of the specific aims is described and illustrated in more detail according to a purely indicative and not restrictive form of construction, also with the aid of 6 figures attached of which: 
         FIG. 1  presents a view of a profile of slope of accidental form on which a cableway equipped with the preferred pulley device has been arranged; 
         FIG. 2  presents a cross-section of the pulley device that can be applied to the cableway in  FIG. 1 , being represented according to the plan in section II-II of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 3  presents an external vertical view of the same pulley device that can be applied to the cableway in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  presents a similar view to the view in  FIG. 3  but represented along the plane in section IV-IV of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows a similar view of the pulley device to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , being represented in combination with the cableway rope shown in  FIG. 1 , and being partially represented in a left-hand elevation similar to the section of  FIG. 4 , while the right-hand elevation is analogous to the view in  FIG. 3 , but without a protective cover; and 
         FIG. 6  shows a similar cross-section to the view of the pulley device in  FIG. 2 , but with decomposition of the main elements from which it is composed, indicatively according to the plan in section VI-VI of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     In all the figures the same details are shown or are meant to be represented by the same reference number. 
     MODE FOR INVENTION 
     According to the example construction solution proposed in  FIG. 1 , a cableway A is mainly built in order to connect a point of departure B to a point of arrival C of a difference in altitude V by a rope F to which it is possible to attach a pulley device or a car device D including such pulley device D for the support and transport of persons for their decent at a controlled speed. 
     As in every normal cableway A, the rope F will have an extremity F 1  fixed to a pole of departure or other solid point of support B 1  and an opposite extremity F 2  that is fixed to another pole of arrival or other solid point of support C 1 . 
     A departure landing B 2 , making possible a jolt or raised at the point of departure B, is arranged so that it is a shorter distance from the rope F to make it easy to couple the braking device D just as an arrival landing C 2  is arranged at the point of arrival B, if necessary by jolt or by suspension in order to facilitate uncoupling from the same rope F. 
     A distance formed by the rope F of the cableway A between its two extremities F 1 , F 2  is normally shorter than the correspondent distance of the actual cableway, while indeed guaranteeing a descent and arrival at a safe speed since this speed is controlled by the pulley device D that forms the subject of the present innovation. Especially, a span F 1 -F 2  formed by the rope F of the cableway A between its two extremities F 1 , F 2  is longer than the correspondent linear distance between the two extremities F 1 , F 2 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6  and specific reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the pulley device D is substantially composed of a pair of plates forming walls  10 ,  11  that are used to support a pair of running pulleys  20 ,  30 , which are equipped with a crown gear comprising flange teeth having especially twice as many flange teeth  21   b;    31   a,    31   b  that are positioned so that they mesh directly with corresponding spools  40 ,  50 . Especially, the spools  40 ,  50  can be structured as sprockets or pinions. 
     The said spools  40 ,  50  are also equipped with corresponding sets of teeth  41   b;    51   a,    51   b,  and mesh with a corresponding spindle or starter shaft  42 ,  52  whose extremities stick out from said walls  10 ,  11 , especially plates, and to which as many blades  43 ,  44 ;  53 ,  54  are applied, which rotate in agreement with the corresponding spools  40 - 50 . To verbalize, the starter shafts  42 ,  52  especially are pivotable mounted in the walls  10 ,  11  leading through both walls  10 ,  11  and have torque proof mounted or integrally formed the flanges  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  54  at their end sections. Especially, the shafts  42 ,  52  have torque proof mounted the spools  40 ,  50  between the walls  10 ,  11 . 
     The said pulleys  20 ,  30  naturally become idle between the said plates forming the walls  10 ,  11 , being supported by means of suitable bearings or rollers—not represented in the FIGS.—are in agreement with an axle  23 ,  33 , with its extremities being in agreement with corresponding seats in the same plates. Especially, the pulleys  30  are supported by ball bearings  32   a,    32   b  at the axles  23 ,  33 . Especially, the axles  23 ,  33  can be structured as a shaft or spindle. 
     Still with reference to the said  FIG. 6  and by way of example, pulley  30  introduces a ring gear or an especially double toothed flange with teeth  31   a,    31   b  separated by the presence of a groove  34  that is used to accommodate the rope F of the cableway A, together and in parallel with a corresponding groove of the other pulley  20 . To verbalize, the preferred pulleys  20 ,  30  are pulley wheels comprising a circumferential groove to be put onto such a rope F. Further, circumferential rims are toothed or arranged to provide frictional coupling with the shafts. 
     The said grooves  34  are normally equipped with truncated cone inner walls suitably joined together so that they can house such ropes F of various diameters, ensuring the surface contact with said rope F in always maximised manner in order to guarantee regular unwinding of the pulley on the same rope. 
     In addition to the axle fixing of the axles  33 , the walls  10 ,  11 , especially plates, are also joined and positioned by rods  12 ,  13 ,  14 , especially tie-rods, with adequate spacers  12   a ,  13   a,    14   a,  and respective nuts, washers, and pins, especially cotter pins for stable normal closing of the entire pulley device D. 
     Furthermore, the same plates forming the walls  10 ,  11  are equipped with a corresponding coupling hole  15 ,  16  for a hook  17 , especially safety snap link to which to couple a sling holding a person or car to the pulley device D after having arranged it on the rope F on the grooves  34  of the pulleys the  20 ,  30  for a controlled descent along the cableway A. 
     The same plates forming the walls  10 ,  11  are then advantageously equipped with a series of through holes  18 ,  19  to guarantee maximum aeration in the space between them and especially for the maximum aeration of such external blades  43 ,  44 ,  53 , 54 , while the same holes  18  can also be used for the coupling of an emergency rope, tensioned higher up the mountain than the departure landing B 2  and/or below the arrival landing C 2 , for example during the testing of the system or because of the presence of hesitant persons. Especially, the through holes  18 ,  19  are structured as perforations or air inlets. 
     According to the solution so far described and illustrated, device D is therefore composed of the pair of plates forming the walls  10 ,  11  that enclose and support the pair of pulleys  20 ,  30 , which rotate in their running movement to descend the rope F, determining the rotation of the respective toothed spools  40 ,  50  and therefore respectively of the first starter shaft  42 , blades  43 ,  44 , and of the second starter shaft  52  blades  53 ,  54 , especially ventilation blades  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  54 . 
     Continuing to refer to  FIGS. 2 and 6 , as an alternative to the layout of two spools  40 - 50  equipped with respective sets of teeth  41   b,    51   a,    51   b,  four single spools can be used  50   a,    50   b,  providing them moreover with a stable connection to the respective starter shafts  42  and  52 , directly meshing with the toothed flanges  21   b,    31   a,    31   b  of the respective pulleys  20 ,  30 . 
     To avoid the danger of contact of the person with the rotating blades  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  54  during descent, the pulley device D is advantageously equipped with protections  61 ,  62  or protection shields providing protective surfaces, the said protection shields can be provided with appropriate frontal or lateral perforation  63  in order to cooperate with the air inlets  18 ,  19  of the wall  10 ,  11  forming plates for maximum aeration of the blades  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  54 . 
     With the descent of the person from point of department B to point of arrival C, after being coupled to the rope F by the pulley device D and after initial acceleration by gravity, aeration of the blades  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  54  causes remarkable friction action on the same blades  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  54  whose action is especially directly proportional to the weight of the person coupled to the device D. 
     Consequently, the air acts as a brake slowing down the rotation of the blades  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  54  slowing down the revolutions of the axle or shaft  42 ,  52  and therefore of the spools  40 ,  50  with which they are in agreement. 
     The turbo slowing down of the spools&#39;  40 ,  50  rotation therefore involves the slowing down of the pulleys the  20 - 30  running on the rope F, causing continuous braking of the pulley device&#39;s D descent velocity and the person coupled to it along the entire descent of the span F 1 -F 2  of the cableway A guaranteeing the safest of conditions in compliance with the main aims proposed. 
     In addition to being ideal transport of persons, the turbo braked pulley device D allows the transport of any other good such as devices and equipment, assuring the best of transport and arrival conditions, conforming to another aim of the specifications. 
     The same pulley device D illustrated above can ensure any normal person who is not specifically trained to be something like a parachutist to experience suspension in the air and the strong emotion and pleasant memory associated with admiring the landscape and situations that is an unforgettable memory for the person, conforming to one of the other aims in the specifications. 
     Regarding all that has been described and illustrated up until now, variations and adaptations are naturally possible, meeting particular needs. As an example, the weight of the person to transport may vary such as between a child, an adult, and an obese person, the number of blades can vary  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  53  for example arranging pulley devices D equipped with four, three, or only two blades in relation to the decreasing weight of the person to be transported so that the descent velocity is always sufficiently thrilling even though within agreed safety limits. Especially, there can be provided more than two of such blades at each spool. 
     It is also possible to make analogous devices that are equipped with various numbers of pulleys  20 ,  30  and spools  40 ,  50 , therefore various numbers of blades  43 ,  44 ,  53 ,  54 , in addition to adapting the diameter of the same blades in order to support and to transport persons and things of weights different from those exemplified in the maximum of safety. 
     Moreover, it is still possible to vary the tensioning of the rope F along the span F 1 -F 2  of the cableway A in relation to the expected braking force of the device D thereby making it possible to use differing descent equipment according to the age of the persons or level of emotion so that it is possible to attach the guide or safety ropes, and the coupling to the holes  18  in the plates forming the walls  10 ,  11 . 
     Furthermore, it is also possible to adapt and modify the primitive diameters of the pulleys&#39;  20 ,  30  tooth crowns having the teeth  21   b,    31   b,    31   b  in addition to the diameters of their grooves  34 , and the primitive diameters of the sets of teeth  51   a,    51   b  on the spools  40 ,  50  in order to determine speed and conditions of descent in response to specific needs. Especially, such flange or gear teeth  51   a,    51   b  can be provided at crown gears or form a double toothed flange. 
     Moreover, it is possible to interpose suitable bearings or equivalent means of anti rolling friction between the starter shafts  42 ,  52  and their points of support on the walls  10 ,  11  forming plates. These and other analogous modifications and adaptations moreover make the idea to be protected original. Furthermore, the blades can be formed and arranged as ventilation blades, flaps or three-dimensional fan blades to be able to catch air and have great aerodynamic drag when moving during rotation against the moving direction of the pulley device D and to have less aerodynamic resistance when moving during rotation in the moving direction of the pulley device D.