Ropeway Transport System
OwnerAndre Fraser Monteiroinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ropeway or cable system is disclosed having at least two cable loops (1,20) that form a track, a first loop extending directly between two end station embarking or disembarking stations of the track, and a second loop extending between the two end stations via intermediate embarking or disembarking stations) or turning towers on the track. A vehicle (2) is carried from a loop, the vehicle (2) having a cable gripping mechanism (37, 38, 43, 44), the cable gripping mechanism being capable of switching attachment of the vehicle between two or more cable loops (1,20), so as to change the loop that carries the vehicle (2).
Claims25
A ropeway or cable system having at least two cable loops that form a track, a first loop extending directly between two end station embarking or disembarking stations of the track, and a second loop extending between, either the two end stations, or along part of the track, via intermediate embarking or disembarking stations or turning towers on the track;
- a vehicle carried from a loop, the vehicle having a cable gripping mechanism, the cable gripping mechanism being capable of switching attachment of the vehicle between two or more cable loops, so as to change the loop that carries the vehicle.
A ropeway or cable system according to any preceding claim, wherein the gripping mechanism has a traction drive system capable of powering the vehicle along any of the cables.
A ropeway or cable system according to any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle can at appropriate zones or times along the track, and according to its programmed destination, either continue to drive on the first, direct route, cable loop or alternatively switch to the second, local, cable that takes a detour to a station, or a turning tower, or from a station or turning tower, compared to the direct route cable.
A ropeway or cable system according to any preceding claim, wherein the first, direct route, cable is powered by a pulley at one of the end stations and the second, local cable is fixed, and wherein the cable gripping mechanism has a first independent cable gripper optionally having no cable drive for use with the first, moving, cable loop and a second gripper containing a traction drive for use with the second, stationary fixed cable loop;
- and wherein the vehicle is adapted to ride the first, direct route, cable by being suspended and pulled along by the moving cable loop using the first gripper mechanism, and adapted to engage its second, driven, gripper to drive the vehicle on the second, stationary local loop that extends to local or intermediate stations.
A ropeway or cable system according to any preceding claim comprising at least 3 cable loops, the first direct route cable loop, the second indirect local loop, and a third cable loop comprising a further indirect cable loop also passing through intermediate stations or turning towers;
- the first, direct, cable loop and also one of the second or third cable loops being moving cable loops driven by pulleys, optionally end pulleys, and the other of the second and third cable loops being a fixed stationary cable, and wherein the vehicles comprises an independent cable gripper and two independent traction drive systems associated with a clutch;
- the arrangement being such that the vehicle is adapted to move along the first, direct route cable, by using the gripping mechanism, whilst detours to intermediate stations are enabled by the traction drives associated with the clutch being adapted to selectively engage the two local cables (the second and third cables).
A ropeway or cable system according to any preceding claim, wherein a cable driver at a first pulley at one of the first, direct, loop end stations is adapted to drive the first loop at constant speed, and wherein a second driver at a pulley at one of the first loop end stations is adapted to drive the second, local, loop at a variable speed that can be varied by an associated cable speed controller.
A ropeway or cable vehicle comprising a suspension system containing two powered substantially horizontal slide gripping actuators, operating in a direction perpendicular to the line of travel of the vehicle and in opposition to each other;
- each gripping actuator slide comprising an independent gripping system;
- and wherein each of the two gripping systems can in its extended position attach to one of the ropeway cables, while the vehicle is suspended by the other gripping system from another cable.
A ropeway or cable vehicle (i) possessing a counterweight, a powered slide operating in a substantial horizontal direction perpendicular to the line of travel of the vehicle, a tilt sensor, and a controller, the counterweight being provided on the powered slide, and the controller being adapted to control movement of the counterweight on the powered slide to reduce or cancel unwanted roll or tilt of the vehicle using signals from the tilt sensor, optionally or preferably in a closed loop control system;
- or
- a ropeway or cableway vehicle according to any of claims 14 to 18 and also having feature (i) of this claim.
A network comprising a first set of linear ropeway loops, optionally substantially parallel to each other, and operating at a first distance from the ground, and a second set of ropeway loops, optionally generally substantially parallel ropeway loops, the first and second set of ropeway loops crossing each other, and optionally the second set of loops being substantially perpendicular to the first set and operating at a second, different, distance to the ground;
- and a set of nested loops, optionally being substantially square or rectangular ropeway loops and being enclosed by the closest adjacent loops of the first or second set of loops and by the adjacent sets of loops from the orthogonal set of the first or second loops.
A network of above ground suspended cable car cables and cable cars suspended from a selected cable,
- the cable cars having a carriage and a hanger connecting the carriage to a cable, the hanger having a first cable gripper that grips a first selected cable to hold the hanger to the first cable, the first cable gripper being releasable from the selected first cable, and
- the hanger having a second cable gripper being capable of gripping a second different selected cable to hold the hanger to the second cable, the hanger thereby being capable of changing the cable that it grips and from which the cable car is suspended,
- the first cable extending from Station A to station B, and the second cable extending from station C to station D, where C may be the same as A or different,
- the first and second cable grippers being adapted to change the cable from which the carriage is suspended, and thereby the station to which it will go, during travel of the cable car between station A and station B at a point that is not necessarily a station, and whilst the cable car is moving, optionally at or close to full speed on the first cable, and wherein the first and second cables have exchange regions where they are at substantially the same height above the ground at the same place to facilitate the hanger and the grippers changing the cable from which the cable car is suspended.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.